The Girl From the Woods
by EmLawrence
Summary: The disapearance her parents when she was 4 left Alex Skye and her brother Michael alone in a cabin in the woods, until he too mysteriously vanished when she was 15. Four years later, Alex is still fending for herself, until Loki appears for revenge on Earth and she is somehow dragged into a whirlwind of lies and hurt.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! This is my first story and I'm really nervous about how it'll go, so pleeeaaase comment and give me feedback! I don't really have much else to say at this point, so hopefully you guys enjoy!**

Alex's keen, grey eyes scanned the forest below her, looking for the slightest movement. She was sitting in a tree, and after just collecting eggs from the nest she'd found there, she was hoping to catch a rabbit or squirrel for that night. She had found enough berries and nuts earlier to last a couple of days, but it had been a while since she last went hunting.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a slight movement, and within seconds her bow was drawn and aimed towards the forest floor. Alex had all but stopped breathing as she waited for the small creature to emerge from the bush it was hiding in. The little head of of a squirrel peered out, and Alex waited for the rest of the body to follow before she let the arrow fly towards one of the tiny white dots of fur on its back.

She nimbly jumped from the tree and retrieved the squirrel and arrow, placing the latter back in her quiver. Smiling, she surveyed the squirrels body, and, as always, she found she had perfectly hit her mark. Alex Skye never missed, thanks to the hours her brother, Michael, spent teaching her to hunt, his choice of weapon also a bow. He had shown her how to throw small knives and spears, as well as setting traps, but brother and sister both agreed it didn't have the same sensation as holding a bow did; fingers curled around wood, the tension of the string as the arrow was pulled back, the satisfying _twang_and _thud_as the arrow was released and hit its mark.

Grabbing her catch, she began to head back home. The late afternoon sun filtered through the trees, the light catching on her long, light brown hair, as she walked to the cabin she had lived alone in for years. She couldn't be sure exactly how long she'd lived there by herself, but before her brother disappeared he had taught her how to tell the time of month just by observing the moon cycle, so she was guessing it had been around four years at least. The lodge didn't have electricity or plumbing and was kind of run down, but it was still home.

After arriving at the cabin, Alex abandoned her load to grab a bucket, heading to the nearby lake to fill it multiple times. Most of the water ended up in a large vat over the fire, Alex dragging it off to wash herself before it became too hot. After she changed, she used any remaining water to scrub down her threadbare clothes and boil the eggs in a pot. She cooked the now skinned squirrel over the fire, retrieving her nuts and berries from her bag to eat as well.

Finishing cleaning the pots and plate after her meal, Alex began to walk past the empty rooms that once belonged to her brother and parents and into hers. She traded the candle in her hand for the book sitting on the nightstand, _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_. It was by far one of her favourite books, along with the first and third books in the series, _Philosopher's Stone_and the _Prisoner of Azkaban_. Reading was her second love, after hunting of course, and most of her days were spent curled up inside with a book. She'd read all the books in the cabin multiple times, and yearned for new stories, new characters, new adventures. Crawling under the covers, Alex began to read from where she had left off. She knew there were more books in the series; Harry hadn't actually killed Voldemort in Philospher's Stone, and in Prisoner of Azkaban Peter had run off to join the Dark Lord, as Trelawney predicted.

A good, solid hour of reading later, Ginny had disappeared, leaving Harry and Ron to find out Lockhart wasn't all he was cracked up to be. Placing the book back on the nightstand, Alex blew out the candle and snuggled deeper into her blankets. She let her mind wander, thinking of life with her parents and brother, before she fell into the blissful unawareness of sleep.

"_Okay, steady."_

_Alex had her bow drawn and aimed at the bird sitting in the tree ahead of her, breathing deeply as she tried to keep her focus, which was getting increasingly harder as her brother kept trying to encourage her._

"_Michael, if you don't shut up this arrow is going through your eye instead of the bird's."_

_She heard a low chuckle emanate from a few feet away, and the scowl on her face deepened. He wanted her to concentrate, but how was she meant to do that when he kept distracting her? Inhaling deeply, she let the arrow soar towards the bird, only to have it miss by an inch. The startled bird flew away, and Alex swore under her breath and turned to her brother, furious._

"_Uh uh uh. Language."_

"_Seriously?"_

_Michael feigned a look of innocence. "Well, yeah. Ladies shouldn't talk like that," he said, flashing her a smile_

"_You know what I mean."_

_Michael shrugged. "You need to learn to operate under pressure. You're already easily distracted, and that could make the difference between whether you fail or succeed. Whatever your hunting, at that moment in time, is the only thing that matters in the world, and all your attention needs to be directed at it. You wouldn't let a deer get away because you had a branch digging into your back, it's just a wasted opportunity."_

_Alex mumbled something under her breath about 'wasted opportunities in not shooting you' and began searching for another bird. After she found one, her bow was drawn and locked onto the small animal. From her left, she heard her brothers voice, but this time all her attention was on the bird. Seconds later, the bird fell from the tree, an arrow piercing its eye, and Alex turned to face her brother, her face split in a wide grin. _

"_Ha! What were you saying about being easily…" her voice trailed off, because where Michael used to be there was just empty air. _

"_Michael? Where are you?" She slowly turned, looking for any signs of her brother._

"_Ha ha ha, very funny. You can come out now." _

_Alex didn't notice the darkness and cold creeping in until she was standing in the pitch black woods. Her breaths came quicker, and she wildly looked around for her brother. A small way away from her, she heard footsteps approaching her. _

"_Michael?" _

_Her voice sounded small and far off, and the footsteps continued toward her in silence. She turned and began running through the woods, not seeing where she was going. Suddenly she was tumbling across the forest floor, and when she finally came to a stop the footsteps were right behind her. Alex let out a small whimper, and when a large hand came down on her shoulder, her scream echoed all around her._

Alex woke up the next day, the recurring nightmare of being chased through the woods already fading from her memory as she launched into her usual routine. She ate the last two eggs and some berries, and started to read _Chamber of Secrets_ again. After she finished, she went on to _Prisoner of Azkaban_, knowing that when she finished she would still be left wondering about Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the wizarding world. By late afternoon, Alex had abandoned her book in favor of her bow and arrow, hoping for another squirrel or nest to pilfer to feed her for the night.

Two hours later, Alex was walking back to the cabin with five eggs and a rabbit, and though it had been a good afternoon, something didn't feel right. She knew the feeling, she just couldn't place it. The feeling grew more and more unsettling, until she finally realised where she knew it from. Michael and her used hide in the forest, and the first person to find their sibling, sneak up on them and 'kill' them won. Her brother was usually victorious, and though it was meant to be one of many hunting exercises he made her endure, Alex had the feeling Michael just wanted a chance to show off. Anyway, this was the same feeling she got when Michael had found her and was waiting for his opportunity to strike.

Could it be…? No. Alex pushed the thought from her mind. If it was Michael, why was he spying on her instead of just coming to her? But no, it couldn't be Michael, could it? He had disappeared years ago, so why come back now to see Alex_? _It had taken her months to convince herself he was actually gone, so she wasn't about to let herself get her hopes up.

Alex arrived at the cabin and went to get water _as per usual_, the feeling of being watched still following her. When she went inside for the night it lessened slightly, but was still there none-the-less. Although she had a gut feeling something wasn't right, she ignored it, passing it off as paranoia.

She tried to read before she went to bed, but was too unnerved to be able to concentrate on her book. Settling into bed, she tossed and turned for hours before falling into a fitful sleep.

_Night was falling and Alex was silently flitting from shadow to shadow, listening for the slightest indication of where Michael might be hiding. She couldn't, wouldn't, let him win this time; it was her turn to show him what she was made of. The crunch of boot on undergrowth made her wince with every step she took. From her left, she heard the sudden shuffle of leaves, making her freeze. By now everything was silent, Alex waiting for Michael's stare to burn into her back as she continued on her quest to finally beat him. But the cold stare never came, though she was still paranoid he would find her and declare his victory. Again. No, she could do this. She had to do this. Slowly, she placed one foot after the other, moving more quietly than was humanly possible. _

_An hour later, she was still creeping through the forest, no sign of Michael anywhere. The cold was beginning to seep through the forest, though Alex's determination never wavered. _

_Even when she heard footsteps slowly shuffle towards her. _

_In hindsight, she should have known Michael would never let himself be heard on a hunt, but her desperation to win caused her to whip out her bow and arrow and spin around, hoping if she had him rendered helpless first she would be announced 'the best' for once. Her wild hope turned to confusion as she stared at the empty space behind her, her bow and arrow slightly dropping as she looked around, sure he had been right there. _

_"Dammit," she muttered, hearing someone approach from her left. She slung her bow back over her shoulder and turned to face the trees where she was sure Michael was hiding, waiting for him to emerge and the taunting to start._

_But it never did._

_Instead, the footsteps gradually travelled closer to Alex, and she began to feel uneasy. _

_"Michael, you win, I give up, it's getting late. Can we get this over and done with and go home?"_

_No response. _

_The footsteps neared Alex. _

_"Michael stop it's not funny," she said, an edge of panic creeping into her voice. _

_The footsteps were getting closer with every second, and Alex, finally accepting whoever was coming for her was not Michael, turned and ran. _

_Twigs and branches tore at her skin and clothes as she stumbled blindly through the forest, breathing heavily and operating only on adrenaline. She knew running meant getting away and being safe, stopping... well, she wasn't exactly sure what that would entail, but instinct told her it wouldn't be good. _

_"Michael!" she yelled, wanting more than anything for him to find her now. _

_"Alex?" he called, a note of worry in his voice_

_"Michael!"_

_"Ale-," before his sister's name could leave his lips, there was a massive thud and the two were sprawled on the forest floor, both scrambling to their feet immediately. Grabbing his hysterical sister, Michael dragged her behind a tree and clamped his hand over her mouth._

_"Shhh, you need to calm down ok? Ok? Alex? Alex stop, you need to listen to me."_

_Alex looked up at her brother, her eyes filled with panic as she hyperventilated and shook uncontrollably. _

_"There's someone in the house, Alex, stop, please, and you need to wake up, ok? Then you need to run, don't worry about them just run, yeah? You need to calm down, you'll be alright, I promise. Just wake up and run, ok?"_

_"Micha-? What? What do you mean?" Alex searched his face, looking for a hint at what her brother was talking about, only to find concern etched across it, his mouth forming a sad smile. _

_"This is only a dream Alex, but you really need to wake up. Promise me you'll do what I said, you'll be safe."_

_He wrapped his arms around her, gave her a small kiss on the forehead, and disappeared with everything else. _

Alex bolted up in bed, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. A sliver of moonlight crept through a crack in the curtains, glinting off the knife she had pulled out from underneath her pillow. Realising she was in her bed, she let out a sigh of relief and lay back, closing her eyes as she tried to calm down. Just as she began to feel drowsy again, she heard the creaking of floorboards somewhere in the house. Sitting back up slowly, her grip tightened on the handle of her knife as she all but stopped breathing. Upon hearing the sounds again, Alex quietly swung her legs out of bed, and after slipping the knife into the waistband of her pants, she grabbed her bow and arrow from where it was leaning on the end of her bed. Drawing an arrow, she quietly stepped around her door and down the hall.

Another creak, accompanied by a strange hiss and click, reached Alex's ears. Freezing, Alex remembered her brothers warning.

_"There's someone in the house... Don't worry about them just run, ok?"_

Should she slip back up the hall and out her bedroom window? Or try and evade the intruder and escape through the front door? '_Stop_,' she thought, '_it was just a dream. He never warned me of anything, and there's no one here. It's just an animal._' But what about the hissing and clicking? She'd never heard an animal make that sound before. It was almost... Unnatural. Alex inwardly groaned in frustration. Why was she being so paranoid today? First she was being 'followed', and now this? Somehow it all had something to do with Michael, she knew it, though she wasn't sure what.

_Hissssssss, click click click_

Alex's heart was pounding against her chest as she continued down the hall, not sure what she was going to find at the end of it. Peering around the corner, her whole body tensed as she tried to swallow a scream. In the middle of the living room stood a creature she'd never seen before, and frankly never wanted to see again. Scaly and covered in some sort of armour, it's head swung slightly toward where Alex was, before making the same hisses and clicks Alex had heard earlier. Before long, another one joined the first one, and after what Alex thought must have been a hushed conversation, it left again.

'_Now's your chance..._'

Alex closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, hoping she would hit a weak spot on the creature and kill it immediately... But what if it didn't work? What if there were more in the house, but she only knew about the two? She lowered her bow and leaned back against the wall, starting to shake. She should've turned around before and jumped out the window; she would've be fine in the woods for a few weeks, or however long it took for those things to get out of her house. Just as she was about to try and sneak off back down the hall, she heard another conversation start, but this time one of the voices belonged to a human.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recall you being announced leader of this little expedition."

Alex stayed glued to the spot, torn between running or staying to see what these people... Well person and... Things... Wanted.

_Hissss click click hisssss_

"While I may have failed him, he has still put me in control, and I will not tolerate any insubordination on your behalf," the man ground out. Alex was half scared, half awed by the man voice. This was the first time in three years she'd been around another human, and even though she was in a potentially life threatening situation, she couldn't find it in herself to run.

A growl emanated from the throat of the clearly aggravated creature, and it stalked off into the next room. Gathering the last remaining shreds of her courage, Alex forced herself to sneak a look around the corner once again, this time hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who had spoken before. Menacing authority. His very being screamed it, and Alex felt pity for anyone who found themselves under his cold hard stare. Even the sight of him in his green, black and gold armour and cape caused Alex to shrink back against the wall, where she considered her options. 1) Back to her room and out the window like "Michael" said, or 2) Find out why this guy and his... Friends were in her house (even though the thought of being anywhere in his vicinity made her skin crawl). Before she could decide, the stranger's voice rang out again, seeding a shiver down her spine.

"Waiting here is becoming tedious: it's better to be early in the course of our plan than late. Go get the girl."

'_Crap._'


	2. Chapter 2

**I might not have the next chapter up by next week as I'm going camping, but I'll try to update ASAP. This chapter's shorter than the last one, but I'm going to try to keep them this length so I can easily update weekly. Please review what you think so I know if it's any good :)**

Why didn't Alex bolt to her room and make an escape out the window? Why did she stay crouched at the end of the hall, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape? Why did she only take action of the situation when one of the scaly creatures had rounded the corner, halting right in front of her and demolishing her plans for escape?

You could say she was rooted to the spot with terror, or she had a strange fascination with the strange man in her living room. Even she couldn't tell you exactly why, but as soon as the walking nightmare was in front of her, it found itself face-to-face with the end of her arrow. Seconds later, however, Alex felt the cool, sharp edge of metal on her throat and the firm grip of a hand on her left shoulder.

"Drop your weapon."

It was the clear commanding voice of the man, who was now behind her. '_What the hell?!_' Alex thought as she turned rigid. He was in the living room mere seconds ago, so how had he gotten behind her?

"I said drop it!" He snarled, the grip on her shoulder tightening and the dagger pressing harder against her skin. But for some reason, Alex refused, keeping her bow level with the creature's head and never wavering in her stance. She heard the man chuckle in her ear, though there was no humor in it.

"Silly girl, you really think you can stand up to me and get away with it? How about you drop your pathetic excuse of a bow, and maybe I'll consider lessening your punishment."

Alex let out a small gasp as the knife was pressed ever harder against her throat, sure this time it had drawn blood. The bow and arrow were slowly lowered, then dropped to the floor with a clatter.

"There's a good girl. If only all mortals were this obedient."

A fire raged in Alex's stomach, a rush of hatred towards these intruders, especially their leader, who was treating her like a little girl, expecting her to obey his every order. But he had a weapon, he was at an advantage, while she was unarmed and at his command.

The pressure of the dagger on her skin decreased, and Alex suddenly remembered her own, hidden away in the waistband of her pants. In a flash, her arm, knife in hand, was swinging behind her, until it came into contact with…

Nothing.

She turned around wildly, looking for her captor, who was nowhere to be seen. With a shriek, one of his cronies leaped at her, and with a quick drop and dive she once again had her bow and arrow. A second later the attacker had thudded to the ground, an arrow protruding from it's neck. Mr. GreenBlack&amp;Gold suddenly appeared, literally appeared, in front of her, and with one hand wrapped around her throat he pulled her off the ground and slammed her body against the wall.

"Stupid. Pathetic. Mortal," he growled at her, while her hands scrabbled at his claw-like grip around her neck. "You might want to learn to respect those higher than you, or you will find yourself in an even more unfavorable situation. Understand?"

Alex nodded her agreement, gasping for breath as he released her and she fell to the floor. She was pulled up with her arms pinned to her sides by the second and now only thug of the mysterious man, who stood back, observing her with calculating eyes. Before she could even consider them, the words fell from her mouth:

"Who the hell are you?"

He waited a while before he answered, still staring at her, deep in thought. After seemingly coming to a decision, he smirked, walked forward and put his hand under her chin. She could feel something flowing through him, buzzing like electricity, keeping her paralysed and unable to pull away.

"I," he said softly, forcing her to strain to hear, "am Loki of Asgard." And with that, the buzzing moved from his hand to her head, enveloping her in darkness.

* * *

The mortal girl's head slumped forward as Loki removed his hand from her chin, wiping it on his armor in disgust. Idiotic girl, trying to defy and attack him. He could admire an act of bravery, but her actions were not courageous, just feats of stupidity. How could this girl, believe that she, a petty mortal, could ever be his match in combat? In saying this, he acknowledged that he was far from being Asgard's most skilled warrior, but he could still wield a weapon better than any Midgardian.

Loki watched as the remaining Chitauri bound the girl. He was confident his spell would last hours before she awoke; the bonds were just an added precaution. Unfortunately, in his eyes, the Chitauri who had challenged him previously did not suffer the death caused by the mortal in her attempt at escape. Loki wasn't sure he could continue to endure the mutinous threats delivered by the insufferable creature, lest he finally let his anger get the better of him. Both were sent to Midgard by Thanos; Loki to redeem himself of the failure his last attack on Earth had ended in, and the alien to watch him and ensure he succeed in his plans.

The mortal girl ('_Alex_,' he thought) lay abandoned on the floor, while the Chitauri rummaged through rooms and belongings mostly covered in a fine layer of dust. Moving closer, the God saw the small amount of red smeared across her neck, the faint shadow of a bruise blooming across the skin on her arm and throat. It disgusted him how fragile these creatures were; how easily they could be wiped off the face of the planet. Yet they insisted on fighting a hopeless battle against beings superior to them when they should have just accepted their inevitable defeat.

Loki could already sense his little captive would be one of those stubborn fools who refused to believe they had lost, who would fight back with every chance available; that's why he needed to set the next step of his plan in motion, soon. If the girl didn't trust him, just for a little while at least, his mission was ruined and her time with him would become extremely unpleasant indeed...

The Chitauri finally returned to where his leader waited, a bag full of various items in hand. Loki looked at him, his features organized into an expression of boredom and impatience.

"You took your time," he growled. "Grab her so we can leave this hovel."

The reptilian creature threw their prisoner over his shoulder, following the prince out the door and away from everything Alex had known.

* * *

_"You never were good with following instructions." _

_Michael was in front of her, a half amused half exasperated look on his face._

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex snapped, irritated at her brothers chastising. _

_"Every time, _every time_, I have _ever_tried to give you advice, you ignore it, until you realise that I was right!"_

_"Well I'm sorry, but who are you to tell me what to do? You haven't been here for four years, Michael. _Four years_. You don't have the _right_to tell me what to do then scold me for it."_

_Michael stared at her, his hurt written clearly across his face. Alex immediately felt bad for what she's said, but her stubbornness stopped her apologizing. _

_"Alex," he said softly, "I didn't want to leave you. It's just..." He trailed off, then let out a shaky laugh. "It's only because I care, Al. You should know that."_

_Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision. _

_"I do, but... Why, Michael? Why did you have to leave me? First Mum and Dad, and then you..." She worked to calm her breathing, and wiped her eyes with her palms. Next thing she knew, he had his arms wrapped around her, and she sobbed freely into his shoulder. _

_"You'll find out. Soon. I promise."_

_And, as always, everything around her disappeared as she slipped back into consciousness. _

* * *

The white almost blinded her, coming at her from every direction. Once her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she was able to take them in. The walls, the table, the sheets she was tangled in; all white. Even the singlet top and short bike pants she found herself in were the harsh colour.

Swinging her legs out of the bed, Alex stood up and slowly walked over to the door on the wall opposite to her, turning the handle only to find it was locked. Sighing, she turned and saw that on the table a few feet from the bed was a plate, with a sandwich (something she hadn't seen since her parents disappeared) with a slice of thin meat on it, and a bundle of a small, green, oval-shaped fruits she had never seen before on it. A glass of crystal clear water sat beside all this, and even though she was starving, Alex was hesitant to eat or drink anything that sat in front of her.

Her mind flashed back to... The previous night? How long had she been unconscious? She shook her head. How _long_she was out for wasn't as important as _where_she was, and _why_she was there. That man who called himself Loki; Alex knew he had all the answers, could tell her why she'd been taken from her home.

Suddenly the full force of it all hit her, and she sank into the chair by the table feeling light-headed. For the first time she could remember, she wasn't left in the forest, in the cabin. She was in the real world. A slight feeling of elation filled her until she realised that, first of all, she was locked in the strange room, and second, even if she wasn't, she had no idea exactly what she'd do in life outside the woods. She knew nothing about it, except for whatever unreliable information she gleaned from books.

Resting her elbows on the table, she buried her face in her hands, too drained to even cry. Fatigue settled over her, despite the fact she had been asleep for probably a day now. After trying one last time to open the door, she crawled back under the sheets and let sleep overcome her.

* * *

Hours later, when Alex's eyes drifted open once again, the plate and glass had disappeared from the table, where someone was now sitting.

Loki looked over at her, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Ahhh, Ms. Skye. Care to join me?"

"_Ms. Skye_" stared stunned and bleary eyed at her unexpected guest, his green and black attire a stark contrast to the pure brightness surrounding him. Alex's expression caused him to laugh softly, then, "Well?"

Eyes fixated on the man in front of her, she slowly rose and made her way to the table. With a wave of his hand, another chair appeared opposite Loki, where Alex took her place, arms folded across her chest. With another wave of his hand, two glasses of water were suddenly in front of them, one of which he plucked from the table and sipped.

Alex glared at the water and her kidnapper distrustfully.

"It's not poisoned. I promise," he said charmingly.

She frowned.

"Who are you?"

His smile faltered slightly.

"Now, I do believe we covered that the other night."

"Oh yeah, after you held a knife to my throat and tried to choke me. Sorry, how could I forget, _Loki of Asgard_," she spat at him. What, suddenly he wanted to play Mr. Nice Guy? Seeing the look of annoyance that flickered across his face, she inhaled deeply, calming herself down. '_Don't piss him off or he won't tell you what you want to know_'. She sighed.

"Who are you, as in where are you from, or with, or whatever. What do you want with me? Whydid you bring me here?" Alex said all this in a flat voice, looking Loki dead in the eye. She saw the irritation leave his face, replaced once again by a tight smile, her lack of an apology not going unnoticed. Had he not needed her full participation, she would have paid duly for her insolence.

"Yes, well, it was important we transferred you here quickly and without too much trouble. Prince Loki, of Asgard, one of the nine realms. I am aware of your… limited knowledge in the events of Midguard, so we'll save that story for another time, shall we? As for who I'm _with_," he made a motion with his hand, "also a story for another time. What I want and why you're here, however, is information I am more than willing to share with you in the present."

He leaned forward in his chair, hands clasped in front of him.

"I have a... _proposal_of sorts for you. And information on your brother."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but with school starting and everything going on, I haven't had a chance to add chapters. Anyway, there's some Tony, Pepper and Fury in here, so let me know if I'm writing them any good. And I'm not sure how I'm going with Loki? I've tried to show his manipulative side here, but please tell me if you don't think it's too accurate. Anyway, hopefully you enjoy!**

"We'll discuss your brother first, since I highly doubt you'll accept my offer until you understand the circumstances.

"When Michael disappeared from your home, he was taken by a government agency. During his time there, in which he was trained, they led him astray. He believed he was helping in fighting for your realms freedom, until I found him and set him on the right path. The organisation was convinced that to save your people, they had to hide the truth from them. They have let governments crumble down on themselves while the Earth stays in chaos, only concerned in affairs that benefit them.

"Once your brother and I were working together, he assisted me in working towards taking down the agency. We were almost successful, however old... acquaintances, of your brothers were still under the impression they were doing good on the organisation's behalf."

Alex stared at him, her mind trying to grasp the full meaning of his words. Government agencies? Earth in chaos? Anyone else would have been overwhelmed by all this information, but Alex's lack of knowledge caused her only to be weary. Her brother trusted this man. At least that's what he was telling her.

"As much as I want to know what exactly happened with my brother and why he left me, where is he now?"

Loki suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"I thought you wanted to cover the '_why_' you are here first."

Her eyes narrowed.

"That was before you told me you knew Michael. Where is he?"

The Prince's discomfort was becoming clearer with each passing second.

"Alex… your brother… he's," Loki swallowed, "...dead."

"He's… how…?" Alex couldn't form the question. God, even if she could have she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"A specialist group of agents working for his previous organisation."

A pained look crossed Loki's face. "I'm sorry."

Shaking, her arms folded even tighter over her chest, her eyes staring unfocused at the table. Several minutes passed, in which Loki watched the girl in front of him carefully, both parties remained silent. Thoughts filled Alex's head, fighting one another to be in the spotlight. Numbness filled her whole body as she sat there, completely stunned yet emotionless.

"So why do you need me?" She suddenly asked, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice.

Contemplating his answer, Loki waited a few moments before he replied.

"Not once, in the whole time I'd known him, did your brother ever mention a sister. It was only by chance that I discovered your existence. The skill Michael brought to the table... I was hoping it might have run in the family. In other words; I want you to join me in my quest to finally put an end to the people who are controlling your world from behind the curtain, to the organisation that has taken so much away from you."

Alex sat there, confused and unsure. She was no where near being on Michael's skill level, and besides, how could she trust anything he was saying? There was no proof that he actually knew Michael, so how could she believe him? But then again, why go to all this effort just to play her...

"I'll give you time to contemplate your decision, of course," he added.

Downing the rest of his drink, he stood, walked around to Alex and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently,

"Again, I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you," Loki said softly, before he walked from the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

Somehow, even with everything weighing down on her, Alex managed to make her way over to the door. Locked. Almost in a daze, she climbed into the messy bed and buried her face in her pillow, letting her tears flow freely.

* * *

Standing outside the room, Loki heard the door handle jiggle, then the muffled sobs of the girl as she reacted to what he'd just told her. The whole ordeal was painful; playing nice, pretending to care for Midgard's wellbeing, comforting her when he'd delivered the news of her brothers death. At this point, he was confident she was beginning to believe his story. It was the truth… well, a version of it anyway.

But the technicalities of it all were irrelevant, as long as she agreed to fight with him. It was so easy to manipulate these Midgardians; they trusted anyone whose story seemed believable enough. He knew that eventually she would find out the truth, and when that happened the second stage of his plan could be carried out.

Loki marched down hallways, making his way to his own room, which was situated on the higher deck of the flying ship. It was much like S.H.I.E.L.D's helicarrier; a base of operations traveling through the skies undetected. Reaching his door, he walked into the luxurious space, with its plush carpet and king sized bed. He moved to a dark corner and sat, legs crossed, closing his eyes and opening his mind. Thin, snake-like tendrils reached out, seeking the presence of another being.

"_Aaah, Loki. For your sake, I hope you have come with good news._"

"_I have, my lord. We have the girl. I have given her the offer. It is my belief that she will accept, soon._"

"_No, your beliefs aren't good enough. You need to ensure that she accepts the offer. You know what the consequences are if you fail me. Again._"

"_I am fully aware, and I can assure you this time I will succeed."_

"_I'm sure you will_," he said, amused. "_I assume you haven't forgotten what happened last time?_"

How could he?

"_Of course not._"

"_Is that all?_"

He was taken aback by the abrupt end to the conversation. Usually, Thanos liked to keep Loki in his company for longer, reminding him of his previous punishment and the one that awaited him if he ever made the mistake of failing him again.

"_Yes, Master._"

And just like that the connection was severed. Loki sat for a while longer, wondering why Thanos had been in such a hurry to end their discussion, his statement of _Yes, Master _leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He hated bowing down to anyone, believing, no, _knowing_, he was was the rightful leader of this endeavor, yet he was forced to act as merely a tool of Thanos. Ever since Loki's last attempt at capturing Earth had failed, the power hungry alien had deemed him weak, missing no chance to remind Loki of his pain. Even his rise as Asgard's new king didn't change how the tyrant viewed him. Unfolding his legs and standing up, the God left his room. He had business to attend to.

* * *

Pepper's laugh filled the room as she was playfully grabbed from behind and pulled onto the couch.

"Tony!"

He nuzzled his face into her neck and nipped at her skin.

"Come on Pep, just relax for five minutes."

"I can't I'm busy."

"Well then, I'm making you take a break. You know, as your higher in command and whatever."

"I'm pretty sure I'm running the company now, so technically _I'm_ the higher authority here," the red head pointed out.

Tony winced.

"Ouch."

Planting a kiss on his cheek, Pepper made a move to get up, however the billionaires grip only tightened.

"Come on. _Five minutes_." Tony looked at her with his biggest puppy dog eyes. Relaxing in his arms, her eyelids fluttered shut.

"_Fine_," she muttered, a smile playing on her lips. She hadn't realised how tired she was until now. Tony knew she needed the rest, and let her head lay against his shoulder. He felt triumphant after realising he had kept her there for nearly twenty minutes, though it was short lived.

"Mr. Stark?" Jarvis' disembodied voice woke Pepper with a start, and Tony sighed irritably.

"Yes?"

"Director Fury is here to see you."

"We're not here," he called back, grabbing Pepper again as she tried to make her escape.

"Tony, he wouldn't be here unless it was important. Go see what he wants," she tried to argue, struggling against him.

"But I don't want to, so…"

"You can be such a child sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, but we both know that that's why you love me."

"Mr. Stark?" Jarvis interrupted.

"What now?" Tony snapped.

"Director Fury is on his way up."

"Seriously? How many times do I have to reprogram you before you'll actually keep people out, huh?"

"Sorry, Mr Stark."

"Just saying," he muttered as the elevator doors opened.

"Ahhh good ol' Nick. Nice to see you again, you look good. Different, almost. Let me guess, you got a new eyepatch? Coat? Haircut, maybe?"

Fury looked less than amused, while Pepper was quite the opposite, standing behind Tony and biting her lip in an attempt to keep herself from giggling.

"Nice to see you too Stark," the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D said, walking towards the pair.

"So, nothing new? Same old, same old?"

Again, he ignored Tony's remark, instead glaring at him.

"Ok, ok. I'm sure you wouldn't be here unless it was important, so fire away."

Pepper rolled her eyes, while he only grinned.

"Since Coulson is… no longer with us, I've taken it upon myself to come and see you, since I doubt anyone else could deal with you."

Now it was Tony's turn to roll his eyes.

"I know, I don't play nice with others. Can we just get to why you're here? You kinda interrupted me Pep, as you S.H.I.E.L.D agents always seem to do when you drop around."

"We need to re-assemble the Avengers."

"Look, as much as that whole little gig was fun, I don't do 'teams'."

"In case you haven't noticed, this isn't about you, Stark, this is about protecting Earth."

"I never said I wouldn't help you fight, just that I wouldn't do it as part of the Avengers."

"And why not?"

"Too much stress. Not good for here," he said, tapping on his chest.

"Besides, he destroyed all the suits," Pepper interjected.

Tony gave her a sheepish look.

"Or maybe not," she said angrily.

"Pep, come one. I only kept one, just in case I needed to protect you -,"

"Sorry to leave so soon, Director Fury, but I have business to attend to," she huffed, and left the hastily.

"Happy?" Tony asked, gesturing him.

"Tony, we need your help."

"I promised Pepper no more fighting, so sorry, but no." Just as he was turning to go after Pepper, Fury tried one last time.

"We think Thanos is coming back for revenge, and only the Avengers can stop him."

"When he sent Loki and New York was destroyed, we nearly went out with it. How can you be so sure we can stop him again?"

"Thor's already been notified and is willing to help. And we don't know that you can stop him, but you're the only hope Earth has."

Tony stood for a while, thinking about what he'd just heard.

"Fine, as long as I'm team captain this time."

"There's no 'I' in team, Stark."

"No, but there is a 'me'."

"I'll send someone to come get you tomorrow morning."

"You're kidding me."

"After what happened last time, we aren't willing to allow room for error."

"Fine," he repeated, "where's all my files?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D's still down from the Winter Soldier incident, and as we haven't personally dealt with him, there's not much information we can provide."

"Right, so this is going to be worse than last time? Great." He ran his hand through his hair.

"I'll see you in the morning," Fury, who was already halfway to the elevator, called over his shoulder.

"Yeah, in the morning," he said to himself, shaking his head. Then he turned and left to try and reconcile with his now _very_ angry girlfriend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been super busy, so this chapter's a bit shorter than usual. Anyway, please review so I know you like it, and enjoy!**

* * *

Alex woke for the third time in her new home, this time the tears from the night before still drying on her cheeks. Her head hurt and her mouth was dry, and this time, when she saw the glass of water and plate of food on the table, she didn't hesitate in helping herself. The green fruit's sweet, moist flesh exploded in her mouth, and within minutes nothing was left on the dish. Leaning back in her chair, she began to feel sick, and regretted eating the food so quickly. Her previous doubts about whether or not the food was poisoned flashed through her mind again, but she dismissed them. After everything she had heard last night, she didn't think she'd been dragged away from her home just to be killed.

But about last night…

What should she do? There was no way of telling if Loki was lying to her, but why would he go to all this effort for a lie? She just didn't know what the right choice was. What would Michael want her to do? No, that wasn't the right thing to ask, because she was expected to believe he would want her to follow in his footsteps. But why should she? She wasn't as good as him, she never had been. Even if she did choose to help Loki, she was sure he would give up on her after realising her inadequacy.

'_Hold up_,' Alex thought, her mind thinking back to when this had all started. Why was Loki playing Mr Nice Guy now, when on that night he had seemed so sinister and dominating? The way he had spoken to those hideous creatures and even her had been disgusted, as if everyone else were below him. And if he was telling the truth, then he could have just found her and explained his story to her, not forcefully remove her from her home. Plus, she was sure her falling unconscious wasn't just a coincidence, and knew there was a link between that, he buzzing in her head and the man who claimed to be a prince.

Sighing, Alex got up tried the door, only to find it locked, again. She guessed it was to stop her from running away, but where would she go? She wouldn't know where she was, or what the world was like. She should have just left the house, like Michael told her in her dream. But maybe this was meant to happen. Maybe she was meant to take advantage of the situation and get information on her family, on Michael. Or should she genuinely help Loki to stop the organisation that kidnapped then killed her brother? But either way, would Michael want her to put herself in such a dangerous position? Would it even be worth it? Making up her mind, she went to the door, pounding it and yelling.

* * *

An irritated Loki made his way deeper into the aircraft they were traveling on, heading toward the room of Alex. Apparently she had demanded to see him, interrupting him from refining the finer points of his plan. Stopping in front of her door, he composed himself, transforming into the charming and sympathetic Loki that has visited her earlier. Opening the door, he entered, a concerned look on his face.

"Alex, is everything ok?"

She sat on the bed, still in her white singlet and shorts. Her head snapped to look at him, and he only just saw the wary and distrustful look she was giving the two Chitauri watching her.

"Umm, yeah, I just..." She trailed off, her eyes flitting between Loki and her guards.

"Could we just have a moment please?" Loki asked softly, although he had a hard look in his eyes as he watched the aliens leave with distaste.

Turning back to Alex, he slid his mask on again, feigning worry for what she had called him there for.

"Umm, well," she swallowed, "I wanted to talk to you about… your offer."

"Ahhhh," the satisfied smirk flashed across his face before Alex could see it, replaced with a look of uneasy anticipation. "I'm assuming you have come to a decision?"

"Uh, yes, umm… I've decided to…" she exhaled gently, "accept."

Alex saw the relief wash over Loki, and most of it was genuine. He laughed, then smiled at her, and she returned it nervously.

"I can not tell you how happy I am that you will be joining us. Your brother was an amazing marksman, and I'm sure you would have done him proud if he was here."

'_And there it is_,' Alex thought gloomily, the smile suddenly wiped from her face.

"About that," she started, "I am no where near the archer my brother was. I mean, I am good, but just not his level of good."

"Alex, while I can admit my hope that you and your brother share a similar skill set did draw my attention to inviting you to join me, my main wish was to offer you an explanation for why you were seemingly just abandoned in the woods, and to hopefully give you a new place to feel comfortable, to feel at home. And I knew, that if you were indeed anything like your brother explained to me, you would want to help fight and end the injustice brought upon your planet by others."

At first Alex looked unsure, but with every passing second her resolve grew visibly more and more strong. Satisfied she was sure of her choice, Loki began to talk again.

"Now that we have figured all that out, let's get you into a more welcoming setting, shall we?"

Standing up, he motioned for her to follow him as he left the room. Alex started after him, unconsciously pausing momentarily at the door before she passed through. As they moved higher through the aircraft, the more busy it became. Whether it was humans or the strange reptilian things that accompanied Loki at her home, she became more and more aware of how exposed she felt in her singlet top and shorts. It wasn't a question of modesty, definitely not. She hadn't grown up with the expectations and stereotypes associated with clothing, or being told to 'cover up' because her attire was too 'revealing'. She was told to cover up so she wouldn't get sunburnt, so she would have less dirt and scratches on her at the end of a long day traipsing through the woods. Now, she felt as though the protection her jeans and flannelette shirt would bring her was gone, replaced with a feeling of vulnerability.

Without thinking, she trailed behind him more closely, casting furtive glances at all the strangers around her. A majority were humans, though there was something weird about a few of them. They stared after her and Loki with unnaturally blue eyes and almost emotionless faces. Alex shuddered, and continued to follow her brother's old friend.

Eventually they found themselves outside a navy door, which opened to reveal Alex's new room. Loki stood aside and let her enter first, hearing her gasp lightly as her toes sunk into the soft carpet. He let her marvel at the luxuriousness of the space before he cleared his throat, breaking her out of her daze.

"I trust you'll be comfortable here?"

"Yes," she replied quietly, turning to look back at the room.

Loki made a move to leave, but was stopped when Alex began to speak again.

"Uh, Loki?"

"Yes, Alex?"

She glanced at him shyly.

"I, umm... Thank-you," she finally managed.

Loki smiled warmly.

"My dear, 'tis a pleasure."

And with that, he was gone.

Alex waited a few minutes before approaching the door. Holding her breath, she reached a hand out for the knob and slowing turned it. Much to her surprise, it opened without difficulty, the long hall stretching in front of her. Instead of taking the opportunity to finally attempt to escape, she closed the door and retreated back into her room. She had gotten this far, now all she had to was find a way to gather more information on her brother. Alex had a strong distrust in Loki, although she could sense the truth behind his words. For some reason, she believed him when he said he had worked with Michael, but the why and cause of his death didn't seem right. She had resigned herself to the fact that he must have passed on, but it still hurt when Loki had confirmed it, even though she knew he wasn't being completely honest with her.

Walking through the ship, Alex had seen all kinds of different technology, some of which she was sure would provide her with the answers she so desperately needed. All she had to do was gain more of her kidnappers trust, and therefore access to his files, even if she didn't have a clue on how to navigate any kind of technology.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ta-da! Another update :) This story probably would've taken even longer to be published if it wasn't for Freddie4153 reviewing. It was only a one word review, but it showed me that there are people out there who want this to continue, so thankyou. And a big shout-out to everyone who has followed and favourited, you guys are keeping me going. Anyway, this chapter is about the Avengers, and I'm not 100% sure if I've portrayed them accurately. Hint: please review and tell me how I've done! And any feedback on Loki and Alex in previous chapters would be appreciated so much :)**

* * *

"No, just... Really? There's not enough room for all this crap! When I said 'feel free to make yourselves at home', I was being sarcastic, which I thought I made pretty clear."

"Chill Tony. You'll live, I promise."

"Shut up Birdbrain. But seriously I don't have roo- THOR I SWEAR THAT IS YOUR FIFTH BAG WHAT THE HELL DID YOU PACK?!"

"Hair curlers?" Clint offered. "And I think the questions more what didn't he pack. Seriously big guy did you bring half the palace?"

Thor looked at Clint with a confused look upon his face, for surely the assassin couldn't possibly believe that fitting half of the Royal Asgardian Palace in his luggage was an achievable feat. Before he could open his mouth to speak, however, Tony had erupted into another round of complaints.

"Guys, I will lose my shit if another bag enters this tower. You will all also be unceremoniously dumped back onto the side walk. I do not have space for all of you, plus your crap. There is not, for the last freaking time, enough-"

"Room in your ridiculously huge tower. We got it. I am curious, though, as to what's taking up the large number of empty rooms in this place that makes it so hard for us to fit. Wait, let me guess, is it your massive ego?" Natasha said, sarcasm heavily laced through her retort.

Clint ohhh'd in the background, making the red head smile while the billionaire rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Awww come on Tony, this'll be fun. All six of us living in Stark Tower. It'll be like one, big sleepover," Clint said. Then he suddenly became deadly serious, before talking once again.

"The Avengers, assembled again, to face their fiercest battle yet..." he began, fixing each of them with a hard stare, "The Pillow Fight," he finished with a dramatic air, while everyone groaned. Clint had a self-satisfied grin on his face, while Thor looked utterly lost at the direction the conversation had taken.

"I-I do not understand," he rumbled, his look of uncertainty sending Barton into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Wish I could say the same thing," Tony muttered, walking off to find Bruce, the only person who kept him sane when he was forced to interact with the rest of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

"Once you've ditched your bags, we'll meet in the main living area," he called over his shoulder, before disappearing around the corner.

"Be useful if you actually told us where it is," Steve said under his breath.

"Don't worry, I think I know where it is. If we get lost we can just ask Jarvis," Natasha told him as she passed through, another bag trailing behind her. Seconds later she reappeared from her room.

"You sure seem to know a fair bit about the tower," Clint tried to make the statement seem offhand, however the female assassin just glared at him.

"Wanna explain exactly what you mean by that?"

"Oh, I think you know," Clint replied his eyes challenging her. Anger immediately flared up inside her at what he was insinuating, though she knew his comments were directed at her out of hurt and jealousy.

"Yeah, because it's not like Director Fury sent me here undercover just to keep an eye on Stark. I must have been sleeping with him too," she snapped, Steve and Thor watching on cluelessly.

"Find your own way through the goddam tower," she spat, leaving Clint, Steve and Thor standing there stunned.

Clint suddenly looked awkward, scratching his head and staring at the floor, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Uh, well, we should probably get going," he managed weakly, heading off in the same direction as the angry spy.

"Great start, guys, great start," Steve muttered. "Come on Thor."

* * *

Everyone had been sitting in the living room for over ten minutes, waiting for the last two members of their team to make an appearance. Clint was next to Natasha, all but begging her to forgive him for what he had said earlier, but to no avail. She sat there stony faced, acting as though she didn't hear a word out of his mouth.

Finally, Bruce and Tony entered, their faces streaked with black. The latter seemed to enjoying himself, walking into the room with a bounce in his step. The former, however, looked to be feeling the complete opposite, and a tinge of green could be seen under the layer of soot covering his head.

"Come on Bruce! You'll be fine, trust me. We're still alive so there's nothing to worry about."

Steve and Natasha stared at Tony in shock. How could he bring Dr. Banner up here when he was clearly aggravated, and risk putting them all in danger?

"You alright, Bruce?" Steve asked softly.

"I'd be even better if Tony could listen for damn change," he growled in response.

"It was nothing, just a harmless experiment!" Tony protested.

"Stark, shut up," Cap said. Tony saluted sarcastically.

"Yes, sir!"

"Dammit, Stark! Do you ever take anything seriously? You haven't changed a damn bit since last time!"

"Yeah, but I'm still rich, so I must be doing something right."

"That's got nothing to do with this!"

"For god's sake both of you shut up!" Natasha was standing, carefully eyeing Banner, who had turned a darker shade of green.

"Tony, Cap's right, you need to grow the hell up." She turned to Bruce and slowly made her way over to him.

"Come on, Doc, we're gonna go get you a glass of water, right?"

He nodded, and silently followed her from the room.

"Nice to see you're all just as dysfunctional as last time," Clint said from on the couch.

"Last time I checked, you were part of this team too," Tony pointed out.

"Yeah, this time. I had nothing to do with your stupid arguments last time. You all managed to piss eachother off pretty well from what I heard, and it looks like you're headed in the same direction."

"We need a plan this time," Steve put in. "That was half our problem, us arguing over our course of action. We need to use everyone's strengths to our advantage, not against eachother."

"For once Hans, and I never thought I'd say this, I agree with you."

Clint looked slightly amused at the Captain's new nickname, while Steve was oblivious to the reference.

"Hans? Hans Solo? He was frozen in Carbonite?" Steve continued to look at him with an expression that clearly showed he has no idea what the genius was on about.

"You still haven't seen Star Wars?! Ok, after all this is over you are sitting your ass down in this tower and watching every single episode of the saga." He thought for a while, then a look of sheer ecstasy filled his face

"That means you don't know about Vader and… God this is going to better than I thought!"

Steve looked surprised, and amused, at Tony's determination to make him watch these movies. Obviously they were a popular in this era.

At that point, Natasha and Bruce walked back in, Bruce's face noticeably dirt-free and less green.

Eventually, they all settled in and Steve and Tony both began to talk at the same time. They turned to eachother, the latter shrugging and gesturing for the Captain to go ahead.

"Ok, well, all we know is what SHIELD's told us in this mornings meeting, which wasn't much," he started.

Tony remembered the meeting grudgingly. He was picked up as Fury promised, brought to SHIELD headquarters, told next to nothing about why the Avengers were being reassembled, then the Director announced that, due to limited intelligence, the team would need to stay somewhere that would keep them in close quarters. He may as well have said you-will-all-be-living-in-Stark-Tower-because-SHIELD's-down-blah-blah-Winter-Soldier-incident.

Steve continued.

"We're dealing with Thanos again, but what he wants, we don't know. Who he might be working with, we don't know. Basically, we're stuck here until more information is uncovered, which makes it hard to formulate a plan, which we need to do as soon as possible."

No one spoke for a while, unsure of what suggestions they could propose with this limited information. Clint ended up breaking the silence.

"So in conclusion, we know nothing about the threat, have no way to make a plan of attack and are just gonna be hanging around here until something pops up. Meeting closed, let's go get food."

Tony was already halfway to his feet, and Thor was following suit when Steve interjected.

"I- no, we can still make a plan, or train, or something! We can't just remain inactive; we need to go out and find information, anything that can help us piece this together," he said.

"If someone can find me a lead, I can go undercover, see what I can find out," Natasha offered.

"Great, you and Clint can go out and gather intel, Dr Banner-," Steve was proposing before Tony cut him off.

"Wait, wait, wait. What's going on between you two? I'm sensing tension here."

"It's nothing Tony," said the red head, the threat in her voice clear. From next to her, Clint was looking at Tony with pleading eyes that were begging him to stop.

"Ok, fine. It just seems like things are a little awkward between you. No, wait, hawkward! _Hawk_ward, get it?" he said with a triumphant grin. Both assassins fixed him with death stares, however it did nothing to curb his enthusiasm.

"As I was saying," Steve restarted, "Nat and Clint can go undercover. Bruce, putting aside whatever happened today, would you be fine to work with Tony?"

The doctor nodded his agreement, causing Tony's face to light up even more. Unable to help himself, a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Ok, so is there anyway for you to monitor any strange, alien activity on Earth? Like the portal that Lo- the Chitauri used to attack New York?" Steve's face had turned slightly red at the near mention of his team mate's dead brother, however Thor seemed to have not noticed.

"Well, we can test for energy levels similar to those emitted by the Tessaract, however it will be difficult to focus on specific readings due to the fact that we'll be receiving such a broad range of transmissions, as we won't know exactly _what_ we're looking for."

"Good, you and Tony can figure out the technicalities. Thor, we need you to head back to Asgard, rally your troops. We can't be caught off guard again like the Chitauri. And if we are dealing with Thanos again, we're going to need all the help we can get."

The God nodded his agreement, though he seemed doubtful.

"I'm sure the warriors of Asgard would be more than willing to fight side by side with you in combat, but I have made the decision to take up permanent residence here on Midgard, so I am wary that I may not be able to reach home as you wish."

"I was hoping to get your soldiers on board as an extra precaution. If we can settle this whole situation before it spirals out of control, then we might not even need an army."

Mentally running through the list in his head, Tony turned to Steve.

"Other than leading us, what are you contributing to our little effort?"

Unsure, the Captain sat in silence. He hadn't really thought about that.

"When he's not checking up on everyone else, he can go undercover with Barton and I," Natasha offered.

"The more people we have out there, the more informtion we can gather, and Rogers has done this kind of thing before. While he may not be as adept as Clint and I, he knows what he's doing well enough."

This was met with nods from all members of the team, before they launched into the next part of their discussion. What disguises ("I'm sorry, but come on! Cap's one of the most recognizable people in the country right now, and within two seconds his cover would be blown," Clint had argued) and technology each group would need, as well as the difficulty they faced with getting Thor back to Asgard ("If I can make some form of contact with Heimdall, he should be able to open the portal for me and alert my father of my arrival."). They continued to work late into the afternoon until they had developed a plan. A rough, sketchy and incomplete plan, but a plan none-the-less, and that was better than nothing at all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Just a little clarification on the timeline in which this story takes place: It is set after Thor: The Dark World, but before Guardians of the Galaxy. Everything happening in the story will take into account what's happened in previous Marvel movies 99% of the time, but this is a fanfic, so there will be changes.**

**Anywayyyy… Thanks to all the awesome followers and favouriters! And shout out to Sarah! When I saw the review I pretty much started this chapter the next day. So what I'm trying to say is; review! Please! I need to know what you think! Is Loki believable? Are the Avengers accurate? What do you think about Alex? If you can leave me something, even if it's just one word, I'll love you forever 3 :)**

* * *

It had been three weeks and she had learned nothing. _Three weeks_. Alex made her way back to her room, exhausted and starving after her latest training routine. She'd been dutifully attending since Loki suggested them, hoping for a chance to gain more information from him, until she realised she wouldn't be training _with_ him. Yes, every so often he would show up at a session to observe her progress, but when she even so much as brought up the topic of her brother, she was brushed off and told to focus on her training. The week before, however, Loki hadn't dropped in at all, and when Alex inquired why, she was told he had important business to attend to.

All but collapsing on her bed, Alex realised if she wanted the facts she would have to find them herself. She thought back to the computers (as she had learned they were called) and her original idea of sifting through the files stored on them. It couldn't possibly be that hard, could it? Never mind the fact she didn't have the slightest clue on how to operate one. And there was also the small matter of her gaining access to one in the first place...

A sharp knock on her door snapped her out of her daydream. She opened the door and silently took her lunch from the man outside, having given up ages ago in trying to engage in conversation with them. She pretty much had that attitude toward everyone on board who had the strange blue eyes. Eating her food, she began to speculate on how she could get to the database. Tell whoever was using it that they were urgently needed elsewhere? Find one that had been abandoned for the time being? Create a diversion, and while it was being investigated sneak in? Maybe show an interest in them, and hope Loki would organise lessons for her? No, that last one definitely wouldn't work. Loki was too focused on her combat training to even think about letting her waste time on anything else.

She would have to find a way to teach herself.

* * *

Crawling through the vents, she felt claustrophobic. Alex's shoulders brushed along the walls on either side, and her stomach was basically dragging along the cool metal beneath her. Occasionally, she reached sections of vent with grates, and she could tell she was nearly at one of the computer labs. Slowly, she pulled herself along, squeezing around tight corners and trying not make a sound. Earlier in her journey she'd accidentally sneezed, and for five minutes she sat frozen as the sound reverberated through the vents, sure she was caught before she had even started.

Up ahead, a faint blue light was coming in from one of the grates, and as she reached it she saw it was the room she had been searching for. Lowering herself onto her stomach completely, she watched as silent men and women furiously typed at keyboards, monitors showing file after file, top secret documents flashing on screen. She watched carefully, seeing how they used a strange handheld device to select items on the screen, how they closed and opened documents, used the keyboards to type in access codes and other information. For an hour she lay there, absorbing as much as she could, before she quietly got back on all fours and went to start back to her room.

But she couldn't.

The vents were too narrow, and there was no way she could even attempt to go back the way she came without bashing against the walls. Groaning inwardly, Alex began forward, hoping to find her way back without too much trouble.

A left turn. Left again. Then right. Left. Right. She was incredibly lost, and no amount of peeking through the vent grates could help her get her bearings. It seemed like she was in there for hours, and she was almost certain that she had missed that afternoons training session. That thought alone was enough to make her anxious. Sure, Loki had never been aggressive towards her before, but she still didn't want to get on his bad side. She needed him to believe she was wholeheartedly invested in his plan of justice, though if she was going to be honest she felt it was more like revenge, but for what, she had no idea. And he had to think she was falling for his little façade. Alex could tell there was something forced about his friendliness towards her, that he didn't really care about her as Michael's little sister as much as he saw her as a weapon.

It wasn't that Loki was a horrible actor, no, he was quite incredible, but as someone who had lived out her life away from civilisation, Alex had learned to operate solely on instinct, and now it was telling her something wasn't quite right. She saw the way Loki interacted with everyone on base, the way his attitude changed person to person. Around the females, he was usually charming, humorous, seductive. Around the males he played Alpha, the dominant male, was quick tempered and unforgiving. And with her he tried to act like a protective older brother, like he legitimately cared about her and wanted her to be happy in her 'new home'. In each scenario, he knew how to manipulate the subject, to make them act how he wanted, whether it was through lying or intimidation, flirting or sympathy. It was all an act, a one man show, and somehow Alex thought she was the only one who could see through it.

She continued on her way, knowing she was growing increasingly lost. Once she reached the next section of vent she could see through, she looked down. Her whole body went rigid and she stopped breathing. Below her, in a conference room, was Loki, but like she'd never seen him before. He looked extremely agitated, dishevelled, and just about ready to explode. When she usually saw him, he was in control, and now he looked the complete opposite. She could see a humans and Chitauri in the room with him, and there seemed to be an argument going on. Putting her ear to the bottom of the vent, she listened in to the conversation happening below her.

"…to Asgard last week, and the idiotic fool told me all their plans. So thank-you very much, Mr Accuser, but you can go back and tell our Master I have everything under control."

On the other side of the room, stood whoever Loki was talking to, someone who had a strong resemblance to a man, but who was clearly not. He was blue, with black circles around his eyes that seemed to leak down his face and around his mouth, then down his neck. Not paying much attention to what he was wearing (as she had seen some extremely strange outfits in the last few weeks), she kept her attention on his face as he laughed.

"You have every under control, do you? The defenders of this planet have already began to build their defences, they already know we are coming to attack. If you keep stalling your assault on them, they will win again, and you will be back in Thanos' mercy. Or is that what you want? Should I inform Thanos that you are knowingly allowing yourself to be defeated?"

"How dare you," Loki gritted out. "How dare you accuse me of willingly accepting defeat! I have served Thanos more loyally than most of his most skilled and trusted warriors, Ronan. I-"

"Only because you fear him!" Ronan bellowed over him. "You do not serve him out of loyalty, but because you are scared of what will happen to you should you refuse to. And as I remember, you were not acting of your own accord last time, so do not try to convince me otherwise."

A small smile curled at his lips when he saw the look of disbelief on Loki's face.

"Oh yes, our Master did tell me everything. That you weren't willingly to serve him again after you took the throne of Asgard. How you screamed for mercy when you received your punishment. Ha, you even asked for that stupid oaf Thor to be left out of it all, when-"

"Enough," Loki said. He didn't yell, but spoke quietly, a white hot anger behind his words, which seemed to hit Ronan with a force that no blow ever could have. He stumbled back a few steps and looked dazed for a moment, before looking back at Loki with loathing, trying to hide the slight fear in his eyes, and Alex had a feeling there may have been some magic behind the solitary word. The God stared right back at his aggressor, his expression showing ten times the hatred and anger that was also on Ronan's face. He looked ready to kill, and this was the first time Alex had felt genuine fear towards Loki. She worried about upsetting him at the best of times, yes, but this time she felt horrified at even being in his vicinity.

Loki began to speak quietly again, rage in his every word.

"Yes, the Avengers are trying to gather information about our attack, but I have spies supplying them with false information. When I tell you I have everything under control, it is in your best interests to believe me, lest you are made to be a fool."

All Ronan seemed to be able to do in response was growl at Loki, who didn't seem even slightly appeased after having won the argument.

"Now, if you will all excuse me..." He stood, and made for the door, but turned back before he reached the exit.

"And do not forget, we have something more to use against them this time, something incredibly more valuable to them than one of their own."

And with that he left.

Once the noise in the room below her increased as everyone began to leave, Alex took her chance to hurry back off through the vents, not worrying too much about how much sound she made until she was far from the room.

It didn't take her long to finally get back on the right course, and soon she was getting close to her room. As she prepared to turn the last corner, her shoulder banging against the wall beside her, she went still. Literally. She couldn't move at all, not even to blink. Silently, she panicked. What was going on? She strained her arms and legs, trying to move them even slightly, screaming in frustration in her head.

Then the vents weren't below her anymore, but the carpet of the halls. And ahead of her wasn't the corner that lead to her room, but a pair of feet, and immediately Alex knew she was in trouble. Slowly looking up and realising her worst fears, her insides seemed to freeze. She was caught.

Loki looked down at her, anger written on his face, albeit less than what she had seen in the conference room.

"I'd ask you why you missed training today…" he said, while his eyes drifted up to the vents above them, then back down to her, "but this story seems so much more interesting."

"I…" she began, thoughts racing through her head at a million miles an hour.

"..._was_ training. Kinda."

He arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, yeah," she continued. "I didn't mean to miss training, but I got lost, and only just found my way back," she said with a nervous smile, hoping to cover up her guilt.

"Do, pray tell, explain to me how this was 'training'?"

"Umm, well, I'm trying to work on my stealth, see, which you'll agree with by the way I knocked around the metal up there. I'm guessing that's how you knew where I was?"

"I didn't know it was you, actually, in which case you are exceedingly lucky I didn't bring you down here by a more unpleasant means."

He eyed her carefully, and she was sure he wasn't convinced by her story. Alex lowered her eyes, and it was silent for a few seconds.

"Sorry, I promise it won't happen again."

Keeping her gaze to the ground, she hoped she had done enough to keep him happy. She couldn't risk him becoming suspicious about what she had just done, because something told her the repercussions were deadly. Besides, after what she had just seen, she did _not_ want to get on Loki's bad side.

It was took only a few moments for him to reply, but to Alex it felt like a lifetime.

"I can't deal with this right now," he muttered, and when Alex looked back up he was running a hand down his face.

To say she was shocked was an understatement. She was way beyond that. Even when he took on one of his many personas she had never seen this. The way he acted in the conference was one thing, but this? He looked completely done. Ready to lay down and give up on everything he had been working for, and it worried Alex. It just convinced her further that nothing here was as it seemed, and that there was an intricate patterns of lies and illusions to be uncovered at any moment. She almost felt sorry for him, for the man she had been manipulated into believing couldn't be brought down, who looked nearly broken.

When Loki saw the look of incredulity on the girls face, he felt like hitting himself. How could he have let his guard down? In front of a mortal woman, for that matter? Furious with himself, Alex watched as his face screwed up slightly. Then, his eyes suddenly opened, and he was back to the same cold Loki that had been avoiding Alex the last few weeks.

"No, it won't. As punishment, you will have double the training for the next week. Do you understand?"

At first, Alex was dumbfounded by his sudden change in attitude, but as she saw him becoming more and more frustrated with her lack of answer, she quickly shook off the feeling.

"I – yes, yes I understand." The only acknowledgement she received for her answer was the God turning on his heel and heading off in the other direction.

Double training? She was going to die for sure. One session a day was enough without her wanting to curl up in a ball and cry from pain and exhaustion. Then again, she should just be thankful he didn't give her a worse punishment. She shuddered. She could only imagine what Loki had meant by "_a more unpleasant means_"…

Realising she was still on the ground, she slowly stood and began walking back to her room, dreading the week to come.


	7. Chapter 7

**Aaaannndddd I finally updated! Sorry about the wait, school's been HECTIC and I've hardly had two seconds to think for myself. Sarah and CallMeBunny, you guys rock! Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot to me :) Now, how would we feel about Alex and Loki getting together? Before you jump to conclusions, this will not influence or have anything to do with what happens at the end of the chapter, it would be a relationship that forms later in the story. I'm just not sure how I feel about it right now, if maybe Alex distrusts Loki too much, or if it's something they can work through, because in later chapters there's a few little things going to happen that will make them realise they aren't so different (and some of you may have already seen even now). So please let me know what you think about it. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Alex lay on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling above her, muscles screaming in pain. Somehow, she had made it through every double training session she had had that week, courtesy of Loki.

Groaning, she rolled over and pushed herself off the bed, wincing as she stood. She stiffly made her way to the door, hoping a short walk would help relax her muscles. Walking past the spot where Loki had nearly caught her out a week ago, she replayed the scene in her mind. Her fear at discovery, uneasiness in the look of suspicion on his face, shock at catching him in a moment of weakness. She could tell it bothered him immensely, however whenever she had seen him in the last week, he had taken on his 'caring adult' character. But in these moments, when Alex had the courage to sneak a glance out of the corner of her eye, she would often catch him looking how she imagined he usually did; brooding and full of anger. She didn't dare bring up the situation with him again, partly because there was no reason to, and because it wasn't worth the trouble she was sure to get herself into by doing so. She had also refrained from carrying out the next step of her plan in accessing the computers. If Loki had even a slither of doubt as to her loyalty to him, she knew she was done.

Wandering aimlessly, she had managed to find her way to a deck a few floors beneath her own. Before she realised, she was already in an area she was unfamiliar with.

"Shit," she mumbled beneath her breath, turning to try and find her way back.

She stumbled through halls, regretting her decision to go for a walk as her calves and thighs burned. There were a few doors she approached, hoping to come across someone who could point her in the right direction, only to find them all locked.

Sighing and just about ready to give up, she tried one last door, which swung open easily. Surprised, she slowly stuck her head into the room.

It was quite dark, only the glowing screens of computer monitors offering any light. A soft gasp passed her lips as she took the room before her in. No less than a dozen computers, and not a single person in sight. She entered quietly, in case someone passed by and heard her, and crept towards one of the computers. Reaching it, she stared at it in slight awe, hoping her very crude introduction to technology was enough to get her into the files she needed to see. Moving her hand toward the keyboard, she gently pushed one of the buttons. The words 'IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED' flashed on the screen. An image popped into her head, of men and women sitting at computers with small cards sticking out the side.

'_Right_,' she thought, dropping her hand back to her side. She needed one of those tags, the ones that nearly every person on board wore. But how to get one? Before she could even begin to think about it, she heard footsteps approaching the door. With seconds to spare, she dove under the desk closest to the door, pushing herself as far back as possible. Two pairs of legs walked into the room, one belonging to a woman, the other to a man. Whispering fiercely to each other, they quickly neared her hiding place. Straining to hear, Alex only caught every other word of their conversation.

"…important information… access our files… what they know…"

That was the female, and soon the man was arguing back. Alex leaned forward slightly, trying hear him, but all she could gather was that he disagreed with his companion, telling her that all this would achieve was their capture.

"I know what I'm doing, okay? Just because it wasn't in our briefing, doesn't mean it's not information he wants!"

That was the women again, her voice raising to just above a whisper. Alex heard someone muttering out of her line of vision, and guessed there must have been a third person with them, keeping an eye out for unwanted visitors.

Suddenly, two high heeled feet were pulling the chair toward the desk, legs inches away from her face. She didn't dare breathe. Above her was the sound of hands furiously typing and clicking away. Sounding anxious, the other intruder told the women to move, his legs now taking up most of Alex's limited space. Still trying to push away, even though her back was firmly against the wall, she noticed light reflecting off something in his pocket. Positioning her head her head as close as she could, she saw it was an I.D. card. They must have been using the woman's to operate the computer. With the swiftness only a hunter could possess, her hand slipped the card out of his pocket and examined the card, learning the person in front of her was a Mr. N. Bureft. She waited for a few more minutes, the only sound heard in the small room that of fingers tapping out commands.

Eventually he announced their departure, and the group left. Not concerned as to what exactly had just happened, Alex crept to the door and watched them turn at the end of the hall, seeing their lookout was a man as well. Once they were out of sight, she ran in the opposite direction, lest Bureft returned to investigate his missing I.D. and found it on her.

She took one last look at the card and slid it in the waistband of her pants, still as lost as she was before. Twice in one week she'd gotten lost. _Twice_. If she didn't find her way back soon, she knew she was in trouble again. Certain levels of the ship were restricted to high level crew members only after five, and she had left at four…

A sudden shiver ran down her body, and she turned around wildly. Someone was watching her, she knew it. But all she saw was the empty hall behind her. It was the same feeling she'd gotten in the woods on the day Loki had taken her, and again, she pinned it down to paranoia. There were cameras all over the flying base, that's probably all it was. She continued down the path she was on, still no sign of her reaching her room, a niggling worry in the back of her mind. Something definitely wasn't right. Picking up her pace, she began taking turns randomly. Listening hard, she was sure she could hear the faint sounds of footsteps. Throwing another look over her shoulder she still saw nothing, but she was positive someone following her. Slowing down she continued at her normal pace, heart thumping in her chest. The sounds were now barely audible, and as Alex neared the next corner she took off in a sprint, and as soon as she cleared it she ran into the first room that was unlocked.

With the door just ajar, she watched for someone, or even _something_, in the hall, and could hear someone briskly walking, trying to keep up. The footsteps abruptly stopped, Alex staring where she estimated their owner should be, still seeing nothing. She squinted, then opened her eyes wide in surprise. Only a few feet in front of her there was a slight distortion in the air that took on the vague shape of a human. If her eyes weren't so sharp from hunting, she would never have noticed. Crouching down, like a predator preparing to pounce on its prey, she watched the shimmering form for a few more moments, before flinging the door open and leaping forward.

Her hands and knees stung from where they chaffed on the carpet, but Alex took payed no attention. She was already on her feet with eyes narrowed, trying to find her pursuer, but to no avail. It was like he just… vanished. Into thin air.

"Alex, what on Earth are you doing?"

Loki stood behind her, a look of puzzlement on his face.

"I just… I _thought_," Alex started, looking around once more. Giving up, she sighed. "Don't worry."

If Loki wasn't satisfied by this answer, he sure didn't show it. Giving her a small smile, he said, "Well, I was just on my way up to your room to discuss an issue with you, but seeing as we're both here, we may as well walk together, don't you agree?"

All Alex could do was blink at him, shocked. He was eerily calm for someone who had caught her out nearly past curfew, and on a floor she had no business on. If anything, she would have thought that this should have earned her a harsh punishment, not last week's vent incident.

"Are you okay, Alex?" He was looking at her with concern in his features. Shaking her head slightly, she looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"That's a fantastic idea."

"Excellent. Now, we better hurry along, we only have ten minutes until lockdown."

And then he was striding away, leaving Alex to jog after him.

* * *

They walked in silence for a while, the impact of everything that had just happened sinking in. At the time it didn't strike her as strange, but now, a growing sense of unease was manifesting itself in her stomach. The people in the computer room were clearly there on the orders of someone other than Loki, collecting information and acting as spies. Should she tell him what she'd seen? No, definitely not. She knew this whole situation wasn't quite right, and Loki's little mission to 'liberate the Earth from SHIELD' was becoming increasingly more suspicious. The way everyone on board operated… well, even though she had no recollection of ever interacting with people outside her family, they didn't seem like the type of people who would be working towards saving the world. The strange hostility of the Chitauri and blank faces that belonged to most of the humans on board didn't quite make the most likely team to act as heroes. Besides, even if she felt she could trust Loki and his motives, telling him what had occurred would mean having to explain what _she _was doing down there. No matter how amazing her excuse was she knew he would be able to call her bluff, much like she usually could his.

Stopping thinking long enough, Alex took in their surroundings. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again.

"Did you have something to ask me?" Loki inquired, never turning to look back at her.

"I- no. No I didn't," she said, confused at how he knew she had been about to talk.

"I do believe you did," he replied, but didn't push for an answer.

All she could do was stare at the back of his head, wondering who the man in front of her actually was. Which of his personas was the real him, if any. And why he was leading her down a hallway that most definitely did not lead to her room. Familiar with the look and feel of the level she stayed on and the ones below her, she decided they must have been heading to the higher floors. Why, she had no idea, but she had refrained from asking Loki out of fear of angering him.

They finally stopped outside of a dark grey door, which Loki opened to reveal a room ten times more luxurious than her own.

"Ladies first," he said, motioning for her to enter.

Hesitating for only a second, Alex stepped inside, still not sure of why she wasn't back at her room. Looking to her right, she saw a table set for two, on both plates dishes that Alex had never seen before, although they smelled delicious. She heard the door close behind her, and then Loki was next to her.

"I was hoping you would join me for dinner," he asked.

"Of course," Alex answered, knowing that was really the only option she had, even if his question implied otherwise.

* * *

**Don't forget to tell me what you think! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know, I'm sorry, it's been like a hundred years since my last update, I've had school, etc etc, I won't bore you with excuses. Back to business! Thanks to everyone who has followed and favourited, you guys rock! And CallMeBunny, 1000 and RougeReaper? I love you guys. Seriously. And about the little Alex/Loki question I asked last week; let's just say I've half made up my mind (though I won't be telling you for a while), BUT a little extra feedback on how you'd feel about it wouldn't hurt, hint hint. Aaannd one little thing: Not everything is as it seems! Maybe it's obvious to you maybe it isn't, I don't know, but just remember that, ok? I'm tryna throw you some curveballs. Can you tell how frazzled I am? XD**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Loki watched Alex as she sat in front of him, tentatively poking at the meal in front of her. Supressing the urge to snap at her to just eat it he looked at her kindly.

"It's not poisoned, I swear," he said, smiling at her warmly. She returned the smile, albeit weakly, still not making a move to eat anything.

'_Oh for the sake of the Allfather_,' he grumbled internally, grabbing his fork and having a mouthful of the food on his plate. Even he wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was nothing compared to the grand feasts he used to enjoy at the Asgardian Royal Palace. Dish upon dish of the kingdom's most prized delicacies, and the finest mead one could find in the Nine Realms. He could almost see the ballroom, crowded with hundreds of Asgardian's as they celebrated, and hear Thor's booming laugh after one too many drinks. Not to mention his moth-, _Frigga's_ smile as she watched him actually mingling with others, rather than locking himself away in the library…

"Loki?"

Alex's question brought him out of his reverie, and a sudden anger filled him. How had he let himself drop his guard? Especially a second time, in front of the same Midgardian. Controlling himself, he only let an apologetic look cross his face.

"Sorry Alex, my mind was wandering," he told her, waving his hand through the air. "What were you saying?"

"I was just wondering… What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

"Of course. Well, I have already told you what I am hoping to achieve here; freeing your planet from the grips of agencies such as SHIELD, who do not care for your people, but for their own personal gain. I have also told you that, like your brother before you, I wish for you to fight alongside me for what is right. The entire time you have resided here, you have been training for this cause, and it is finally time to put your skills to use. In a week, we will be on our way to launch our first campaign against the agency, and until then, you will be training with me."

By this point Alex had finally begun to eat, her fork freezing halfway between her plate and mouth. Slowly, she lowered it back down to her plate, staring at him in disbelief.

"_You'll_ be training _me_?" she asked, clearly surprised at the turn this conversation had taken.

"Well, yes. I do hope there is no problem with that." It wasn't as if he wanted to spend any more time with the mortal girl than he had to. While she did possess the same incredible skills as her brother, hers weren't quite up to his calibre, and the trainer she currently had was not making any progress.

"No, of course not," she said, slightly flustered.

"Excellent," the God replied, pretending to be happy with her statement. "This new arrangement will commence tomorrow, and I expect you to treat the session with the same amount of importance as usual, if not slightly more. Now, with that over and done with, let's enjoy this delicious meal, shall we?"

* * *

Alex sat, poking at her food, wondering why she was there.

"It's not poisoned, I swear," Loki said, smiling at her. Only partly aware of what he had said, she only half smiled back, vaguely remembering their first real conversation starting with similar words. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him take a forkful of his dish as if to make a point, but she wasn't really concerned about that at the moment. She felt disgusting. All she wanted was to go back to her own room, have a shower and go to sleep. Realising how hungry she actually was, she began eating. The only good thing that came from Loki finding her was that she was no longer lost, and wouldn't be punished for being in a restricted area. But how had Loki found her? Surely he hadn't just been wandering around on the lower floors to find her, when her room was a few floors above, and his even higher than hers. So why was he down there? It was almost as if he knew he'd find her down there…

Without looking up, she asked, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

After she received no answer, she glanced at him, only to see him staring at his food absently.

"Loki?"

Still nothing.

"Loki?" she asked again, slightly louder.

Breaking away from his daydream, he waved his hand through the air.

"Sorry Alex, my mind was wandering. What was it you were saying?"

"I was just wondering… What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

"Of course. Well, I have already told you what I am hoping to achieve here; freeing your planet…"

She immediately began to lose interest in the conversation. It seemed that every time they spoke, he felt obligated to remind her what his hopes were. Trying to pay attention, she continued to eat.

"…a week, we will be on our way to launch our first campaign against the agency, and until then, you will be training with me."

Almost dropping her fork, she couldn't help but stare back at him incredulously.

"_You'll_ be training _me_?"

She didn't know what was worse, the fact that he'd be training her, or that they were going in a week. Yes, she was interested in him, and wanted to learn what drove him to the extremes she was sure he was willing to go to, but she was content to observe from a distance. Besides, she just felt… _awkward _around him, like he scrutinising her every move. Not to mention they were leaving so soon. She had to try and find the information on her brother before they left, because the information in that file would determine whether or not she fought alongside Loki. But she had been hoping for more time to better work out a plan…

"Well, yes. I do hope there is no problem with that."

'_Actually, there is,'_ she thought.

"No, of course not," she said, trying to sound apologetic for her outburst.

"Excellent," he replied, seemingly glad with what she had said. "This new arrangement will commence tomorrow, and I expect you to treat the session with the same amount of importance as usual, if not slightly more. Now, with that over and done with, let's enjoy this delicious meal, shall we?"

* * *

Loki sat on his bed later that night, feeling furious with himself, as was seeming to become increasingly common these last few weeks. Again he had let himself become vulnerable in front of the girl, letting himself get caught up in his own memories. Why? Why did he insist on being weak around her? To make matters worse, he, for some idiotic reason, though that opening a bottle of wine would be okay! All that achieved was him making an even bigger fool of himself, laughing and joking around with Alex. Then again, this might be just what he needed, what would finally convince the Midgardian to put all her trust in him. He had caught her sneaking around earlier and tried to follow her, only just recovering from her sudden lunge toward him. How she had known he was there, he still couldn't understand. He was exceptionally silent, and no one he had ever been suspicious like she had when he trailed them.

Anyway, he knew she didn't trust him, so in return he didn't trust her. He'd have to keep more of an eye on her, lest she ventured down a path that both of them would regret. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed. Maybe he wouldn't be having this problem if he had just reprimanded her the first time she had stepped out of line. It all came back to him trying to find the even ground between having control over her and giving her enough room to move so she felt free.

Slowly, he leaned back until he was laying down, then closed his eyes. While he may have wanted this once upon a time, to be rightful king of Asgard and prove Odin wrong, he was done. All he wanted now was to disappear, to exist in a place where none of this could reach him, where Thor nor Thanos could find him, where even Heimdall wouldn't be able to see him. Curse Odin for deciding to bring him to Asgard, for lying to him about his lineage. He should have just left him to die an infant, unknowing of the cruelty life could bring.

* * *

Laying in her bed later that night, Alex felt sluggish. After a few glasses of a strange, bubbly drink she'd had with dinner, she had become weirdly giggly, rosy cheeked and laughed at Loki, as he too became slightly tipsy. She closed her eyes and groaned quietly, wishing she could keep her thoughts straight. Two words seemed to continue to come to the front of her mind, a jumble of words following them.

One week.

Michael. Loki. Files. SHIELD. Mum. Dad.

Home.

Blinking back tears, she stared at the ceiling. What had happened to her? How had she ended up here? Her Mum and Dad never coming home, left with only Michael, until he vanished as well. And then Loki coming, taking her away from the only life she'd ever known, and then telling her it was all a lie. She knew her life wasn't normal; her parents had spoken of cities, and cars, and all kinds of amazing things that had awed her once upon time, things that she had never seen despite the fact her parents told her they were everywhere in the outside world. But while it wasn't normal, while she knew there must have been something else going in the background of her life, she wasn't expecting to find out her brother was caught up in something bigger than she would have ever thought possible. That his disappearance, which she had always believed to be caused by a horrible accident while hunting, was really just him abandoning her.

'_No, don't think like that_,' she thought. '_He wouldn't have. There's a reason._'

'_But_,' a small voice in the back of her head whispered, '_if he left, he could have come back, couldn't he? He knew where you were, he knew you were all alone. People don't just leave their family in the middle of the forest. He left, and that's it. Why would he come back when he was finally free? Free from being stuck in the woods, free from having to constantly look after you._'

More tears rolled down Alex's face, and she rolled over, never sobbing but crying silently, until she fell asleep.

* * *

_He always talked about leaving. All the goddam time. At first she thought it was funny. She would humour him, telling him what she thought they ought to do. The plan changed every time they discussed it, but she guessed that was the fun of it, something silly that they could speculate over, never mind the fact that there was no way it would work. It started the same every time._

"_So I was thinking…"_

"_But I thought we were going to…"_

"_No, no, no. We scrapped that after you said…"_

"_Ohhh, I remember…"_

_On one occasion, they actually tried to leave, deciding to just walk through the forest until they eventually reached a city, or a town, or just something that would signify they weren't alone in the world. All it got them was hopelessly lost for two days, so when they found home they settled for the discussion of leaving, rather than the action._

_Soon, she grew tired of their little game, and consequently realised that while she was joking, Michael was quite serious. He continued to dream, she began rolling her eyes. They fought about it more than once, Michael ignoring her pleas to stay in case their parents came back, Alex crying when he yelled at her not to be an idiot, they were never coming home. She was sure that even though they live far from civilisation their voices were heard for miles._

_He always talked about leaving. So when she waited days for him to come back from a hunt, she realised she wouldn't be surprised that if he found a way to leave, he would take it, with or without her. When she headed out to search for him, she wasn't looking for him, or even a body, but how he had managed to finally make the escape he had hoped for. When she couldn't find her way home in the middle of the night, dragging her feet and struggling to keep her eyes open, she knew that she would always be lost, no matter how many maps she had. When she fell to the ground, crying at her loss, she didn't realise that far away her brother was doing the same thing, wishing more than he ever had in his life that he was stuck in that stupid cabin with his little sister._

* * *

**Leave a review? Pretty please?**


	9. Chapter 9

**I know, it's been so long and I feel like such a horrible person. This chapter's been half finished for ages, I just haven't had the motivation to do anything with it. But I'm on holidays now so hopefully that means I'll be able to write a lot more. Hooray! Again, I am so so so sorry DX**

**Please review what you think, it might remind me to actually write, and not to mention I'll love you forever! 3**

* * *

In the beginning, Alex had been dreading the day they would be leaving the base, but once she had started training with Loki it suddenly couldn't come fast enough.

She lay on the mats in the sparring room, all the air gone from her lungs after Loki had knocked her legs out from underneath her, causing her to land flat on her back. They had mainly been training in hand-to-hand combat, as well as refining Alex's archery skills, though if Loki had to be honest, there wasn't much work to be done there. She had never missed her target once, no matter what obstacles he placed in her path. Her fighting skills, however, were a completely different story.

"Get up, we're going again. You need to learn to anticipate the enemy's blow before they can land it."

In response, Alex groaned, but still forced herself to stand up face Loki.

'_Double training sessions were less painful than this_,' she grumbled internally, dodging Loki's attempts to hit her.

"Now you're too focussed on avoiding my attacks, which means I'm gaining ground and an advantage," he said, seeming less than half as exhausted as Alex as he slowly backed her into a corner. She felt extremely uncomfortable; usually she was the one stalking her prey, and now that the roles were reversed she wasn't sure what to do, what move to make next.

In a sudden burst of movement, Alex faked a step to Loki's left, before quickly pulling back and making a move towards his right. She swiftly ducked under his outstretched arm as he tried to stop her, but she had caught him off guard and managed to find herself behind him. Relief, mingled with happiness, ran through her as she turned to him. It was the first time she had been too quick for him, and the first time she had gotten the upper hand. Her victory, however, was short lived, as before she was able to land a blow he suddenly appeared behind her, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her to the ground. Again.

"For fu-," she panted, trying to find the energy to get herself off the floor.

"Please tell me how in any way, shape, or form that was fair?" she asked, slightly angry. She had been so damn close.

"Fighting isn't fair. If you can find an opponent who's willing to give you a fair fight, a fight where they won't use their strengths and your weaknesses to their advantage, then they're a fool. My magic is my strength, so I use it. The fact that you're just a mortal with no powers to speak of is your weakness, so I use that, too."

Fighting hard to stop herself from rolling her eyes, she got up, grunting.

"Tell me again, how much longer will we be training together?" she said, disgruntled.

"Only three more days, thank the Allfather," Loki replied, sounding almost as frustrated as her.

She wasn't sure why, but at this the corners of her mouth upturned slowly. Maybe it was the look of exasperation on Loki's face, or just the whole situation in itself, but soon Alex felt her face split into a wide grin. Then she was laughing until she was gasping for air. She was on a flying ship, filled with aliens, fighting a Prince from another planet. It was absurd, and now that she thought about it, slightly hilarious.

Loki stared at her in bewilderment as she fell to her knees, clutching her sides. Only two seconds before, she had looked as though she wanted to kill him.

"Is there some joke that I should be aware of?" he asked, sounding slightly irritated. All Alex could do was shake her head, as she slowly subsided into giggles.

Finally her breathing evened back out and she stood before him, a smile still on her face.

"I still don't understand what was so funny," he told her, his tone suggesting he was waiting for an answer.

"It was nothing. Just- nothing," she replied, waving it off. "Let's just keep going."

With a look of resignation, he bowed his head slightly, then raised it again to look at Alex. Their eyes locked, and a tingle ran down Alex's spine. She was ready and she could do this, she just had to focus. She knew her strengths, but against Loki they were nothing. Other than his magic, which was an unquestionable advantage, he was stronger than her, and taller. She was tiny compared to him, easy to overpower…

And that's when she realised. She was used to being bigger and smarter than whatever she was hunting, used to being in power. Now she wasn't, Loki was. The way she would usually hold herself wouldn't work, she needed a different angle. She needed to turn her weaknesses into her strengths, and his strengths against him.

Standing completely still, she let Loki creep forward slowly, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Jumping forward, he swung his arm out towards her head, but she quickly ducked down, dived, then rolled, coming to a crouch behind Loki. Turning to face her, he made a move to kick her off balance, but she had already lunged towards his other leg. Just as she felt her shoulder come into contact with him, he was gone, teleporting to a spot a few meters away and taking a few seconds to recover his balance. Pushing herself up off her stomach, she turned to look at him, waiting for his assessment. Her expression soon matched his as she realised he was actually surprised.

"That was… good," he said slowly, as if he was still processing what had happened. "I must say, that was probably the closest a Midgardian has come to besting me in a fight."

A small smile found its way onto Alex's face. She was beyond happy. She would never have been able to actually beat him in a fight, it just wasn't possible, but the fact she had made contact and even thrown off his balance had her feeling elated.

"I think we will leave it there for now. You may go," Loki continued, turning to walk away.

"What, scared I'll beat you again?" Alex teased, but her grin faltered slightly as he turned to look back at her with eyebrows raised. Idiot. She let herself get lost in the moment, and now she was probably about to find herself in Loki's bad books again. To her shock, however, he did not chastise her, but quite the opposite.

"Don't be ridiculous. I just didn't want your enthusiasm to be crushed when you would have undoubtedly ended up on your back. Again, might I add," he said with a small smirk.

"Oh, so that's how it is, is it? One more round, right here, right now," she jokingly challenged.

"Good-bye Alex," he chuckled, walking out of the training room.

Laughing, Alex made for her own room, feeling the happiest she had since coming on board.

* * *

Walking back to his room, Loki tried to straighten out his thoughts. It had been so long since he had engaged in joking conversation with another, but he wasn't sure he should have humoured Alex in her smart comments. It was enjoyable, yes, and Alex seemed like someone who could hold her own through exchanging witty remarks, however he was concerned it would undermine his position of authority over her, where she knew the boundaries and followed his commands. But then again, could this actually help build trust between the pair? If she saw him more as a friend, would she be less reluctant in believing what he told her? He had realised what she was doing when she was sneaking around the halls and crawling through the vents. He knew she was looking for more information, whether it was about her brother or just S.H.I.E.L.D in general he wasn't sure, but he was willing to bet his life it was the former. This didn't worry him though, he knew what she would find when she went searching again, and it would completely convince her that she had to help Loki.

It seemed to him that while Alex was becoming more determined that she was doing the right thing, his doubts grew larger with each passing moment.

* * *

After returning to her room, Alex rummaged around in one of her drawers until she found the security card she had stolen just under a week ago. They were leaving in three days, and Alex knew she wouldn't be able to fight alongside Loki if she didn't know the truth about her brother. Slipping back into the hall, she made her way back to the computer lab she had accidentally stumbled upon in her wanderings, knowing it was unlikely she would be caught by Loki, as he was probably still resting from training. It didn't take her long to find her way this time, but she did find herself down unfamiliar halls on more than one occasion, and was constantly hiding behind corners as both humans and Chitauri continued with their business.

As she entered the room, she quietly closed the door behind herself and rushed over to one of the desktops. Taking a deep breath, she inserted the card into the slot and waited. She only exhaled once the 'Access Granted' notification flashed on the screen, and then went to work. It was half an hour before she found something of any worth to her, clicking wrong file after wrong file, none of them concerning her brother. The first sign of his existence within any organisation was with S.H.I.E.L.D, where a whole document was dedicated to his skills and abilities, along with text outlining his progress resulting from numerous daily training sessions. Finding nothing of much use, she closed the tab and re-began her search, this time with the help of a few key words from what she had seen. This time it only took her fifteen minutes, and she had found his S.H.I.E.L.D profile. This, she knew, would have what she wanted to know: was Michael's death really the work of those he had once worked for, those who Loki wanted her to fight? Shaking slightly, she opened the file and closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing. Minutes later, Alex forced herself to look at the screen, and felt the truth hit her like a tonne of bricks.

'SKYE, Michael' the top of the page read, and directly underneath that were the words 'Threat Terminated'. Blinking back tears, Alex tried to scroll through the rest of the document, but most of what she found was blacked out, only visible to those with high enough authorised access. Dozens of words jumped at her: 'killed in action', 'Avengers', 'rogue agent', 'high security threat'.

Why she was so upset she wasn't sure. She had told herself hundreds of times that Michael was dead, that she wasn't going to see him again. But here she was, receiving confirmation for the second time, and still she felt like all the air had been knocked from her lungs. All her happiness from earlier was gone without a trace, left in its place a devastating sadness. Finally finding the strength to stand, Alex took out Bureft's card and threw it into the corner of the room, knowing she would have no more use for it. In almost a dreamlike state, she began the walk back to her room, not meeting anyone on her way. Despite how early in the evening it was and that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch, she felt straight into her bed, and curled up underneath the sheets.

The Avengers must have been the group of agents that had killed Michael, and 'rogue agent' must have been a referral to when he left S.H.I.E.L.D to work with Loki. The only thing that concerned about the whole situation was her worry that maybe Michael had chosen the wrong side in the end. How could she be sure that Loki actually was the good guy like he continually tried to convince her? What if she was setting herself up to fight against people who actually were looking for a way to fix the world?

Alex decided that in the end, it didn't matter who was good and who was bad, if S.H.I.E.L.D had killed, no, _murdered_, her brother, then it was up to her to make sure they knew they had pissed off the wrong person.


	10. Chapter 10

**I know, I said I would be able to get this chapter up quickly and then you all had to wait a ridiculously long time for it. I know it's a crappy excuse, but I had this nearly finished and then I lost my USB sometime last year at school and kept putting off restarting my chapter because I was convinced it would show up any day now. All that waiting paid off for me, because I did attempt to rewrite this but it just wasn't happening, but unfortunately you guys had to suffer, and for that I'm really sorry. Really, really sorry.**

**Also, (disclaimer: spoilers for Thor: The Dark World in this paragraph) I found a continuity error regarding the Avengers' belief on the whereabouts of Loki; Chapter 3 having Fury tell Tony Loki was alive and seeking revenge, but then in Chapter 5 I wrote that the team believed him to be dead. I have fixed the mistake, and just wanted to let you guys know that everyone is under the impression that Loki is in fact dead (as according to the second Thor movie), which is how he knew of the Avengers plans (stated in an earlier chapter), as Thor revealed them to him while he was disguised as Odin and is still oblivious to the fact he was not talking to his father, if everyone remembers the end of The Dark World. Sorry if that makes no sense at all, but I feel I owe you some kind of explanation to avoid any confusion.**

**And a massive shoutout to anyone who reviewed, followed and favourited this while I was MIA, you guys are awesome!**

* * *

Loki was expecting Alex's sudden intense dedication to their training sessions, but he didn't realise how serious she would become. Today there was no trace of the sarcastic and cheery Alex he had met for the first time two days ago, and while he refused to accept it, he found that he wished she would return. But he knew she wouldn't; he had seen the footage of her the other night, finding the S.H.I.E.L.D file on her brother, which he was sure had given her the last little nudge needed to trust and fight with him tomorrow. It did mean, however, he was likely to never see her smile or laugh again, not after what he would have to do at the end of the next day's battle. And to be completely honest, even though he would never admit it, the thought was extremely saddening. By tomorrow night she would hate him, and Loki found himself contemplating what would happen if he told her to run, to get as far away as she could before her absence was noticed.

But he wouldn't, not while Thanos continually reminded him of the tortures he would endure if he failed his master a second time, and for this he considered himself weak. Too fearful of the repercussions, he allowed himself to again become nothing more than a puppet, who would be quickly disregarded and left in a tangled heap once no longer needed. He was pathetic, and it invoked in himself a great sense of disgust. He was a Prince of two different kingdoms – the Aesir and the Jotuns – and look where he was now! No wonder both the men who could call themselves his father had left him as an outcast, had seen him as a disappointment. After all, was that not all he was?

He quickly set aside all his distracting thoughts as he focussed on Alex's training. After discovering what she had about Michael, she had thrown herself at Loki with everything she had, and had come close to besting him on multiple occasions. The one positive Loki had found about her change in behaviour was the fire in her eyes, the determination and strength he could see in them. She had a lot of fight, and maybe he admired that in her because that was a trait he was currently lacking himself.

"Really, is that the best you can do?" Loki said after Alex had nearly landed a blow, hoping to incite some kind of witty remark from the girl standing across from him. Instead, all he received was a half-hearted smile.

* * *

While Loki and Alex trained thousands of miles away, a similar practice was taking place at Avengers Tower. Natasha and Steve grappled with each other in the training room, each not quite able to overcome the other.

"Okay, time out," Steve puffed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"So in other words, I win?" the red head teased, before grabbing her water bottle.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night Romanoff," he quipped, shaking his head and laughing.

"You're smiling, you're laughing, that's good enough for me," she replied.

"Well, why wouldn't I be?"

She shrugged. "Just thought you'd be too worried about tomorrow."

Almost immediately the super soldier's mood dropped, and he rubbed a hand down his face.

"I just hope we're ready for this."

"Don't worry, we are," Natasha said, coming over and placing a hand on his arm. A few seconds later, she pulled away, and started to leave the training room. "Come on, we need to get to the living area and meet with the others. Can't have the Captain coming in late."

* * *

For the past hour the Avengers had been arguing about the information they had received regarding the following day.

"How do we even know that they have all their facts right? You said it yourself, this was just something they happened to overhear, it could be completely wrong," Clint was saying, still sure they were walking straight into a trap.

"It's the only lead we have, it's better than nothing. If we have been given false intel, then we show up and nothing happens, no harm done," Natasha reasoned.

"I think everyone will be a bit suspicious if suddenly the Avengers show up without any warning. How are we going to clear the area without any major panic? After New York, I don't think many people will take it too well that _more_ aliens are attacking," Clint countered.

"They won't need to know. Fury's authorised a severe flooding warning for the area, which should convince most people to make a move. He even recruited Thor to whip up a little something all day today and for a part of tomorrow to make it more believable," Tony reminded them, as if Thor's absence wasn't enough.

"And I'm sure we can lay low and avoid attention until we're one hundred percent sure that something will happen," Steve interjected.

Clint sat in silence, defeated.

"Fine," he conceded, "but I still don't like our source. How can they tell us a date and a time, but not tell us their exact location now? We'd be better off attacking when he isn't ready, take him by surprise. Surely he realises the likelihood of us coming to stop him is pretty high."

"You heard what they said; no one on board knows their location, but we believe only those close to Thanos do. And Tony and I have tried, but without S.H.I.E.L.D's technology it's near impossible to try and track their ship," Bruce pointed out after being silent for most of the conversation.

Still doubtful, Barton persisted. "Okay, but there are still some major holes here. What does he even want in Arizona? Where did they say they were heading? The Great Gulf or something? And who even are these people that are giving us our tip offs?"

"Grand Gulf," Bruce corrected him, "and really there's only one thing there that would attract him."

A look of realisation passed over Tony's face. "Shit. Palo Verde."

Bruce nodded, while everyone looked at the pair in confusion.

"A nuclear power plant, the largest in the United States," he informed them, and feeling of unease settled over the room.

"So, what, he wants to use it to make weapons of some sort?" Steve inquired.

"Either that, or try to use the energy to open up another portal to let his army in, like Loki did with the tower," Bruce explained. "Either way, it's not something we want."

'_No shit Sherlock_,' Clint grumbled internally, out of fear he would piss Banner off and earn them all a visit from the Hulk.

"As for our informants," Natasha started, "they've been working from the inside for a while now. It really wasn't that hard to slip them in; with S.H.I.E.L.D down they weren't expecting it, and it seems that Thanos was content with letting the Chitauri pick his workers, the stupid creatures. Anyway, is that all good with you Clint? Can we go ahead now?"

Struggling to find any other faults, he nodded silently, but it was clear he wished he had more to say on the matter.

And so for the next two hours they sat there, planning and discussing all the possible scenarios that could unfold the next day.

* * *

When Alex woke the next morning, she didn't feel nervous, or queasy, or scared. She felt determined, ready to do whatever she needed to that day, no matter the consequences. She walked into the bathroom and began to get ready, brushing her teeth and splashing her face with water, and after thinking for a few moments, quickly braided her back. It would be the best way to keep it out of her face. Quickly changing her clothes, she turned to leave her room, and upon opening the door saw Loki standing there, hand raised to knock.

"Loki! What…?" she trailed off surprised. Normally he would have sent someone else to come wake her up, but to come himself?

"I was just coming to make sure you were awake, but clearly that's unnecessary," he said with an almost believable smile. "Seeing as you are indeed up, why don't you walk with me to get some breakfast?"

Despite being unsure, Alex found herself accepting his offer, and soon they were both walking down toward the kitchens. She knew they weren't going to the main eating hall; Loki was above that, and both of them had their food delivered straight to their rooms. She also knew they weren't going to stay and eat in the kitchens, so where they would go once they collected their meals she did not know.

"Shouldn't you be preparing everyone to fight?" Alex asked as they walked. Loki waved her off.

"There are other people who can do that. Besides, I wanted to make sure you were okay and ready for today?" He needed her to be, otherwise the whole plan was going to go down the drain.

Alex nodded her head, her jaw set. "I am."

Loki gave her a sideways glance, and sighed internally. Clearly that was the only response he was going to get from her. It was enough though, he decided, the less she spoke and thought about what lay ahead the less likely she was to have second thoughts.

Once they reached the kitchen and took their breakfast, Loki led Alex through the base once more, to a room Alex had never been in before.

"It's dark," Alex muttered, squinting.

No sooner than she had said the words, the darkness began to melt away, as the walls slid up to reveal the windows behind, making Alex gasp. Slowly, she walked forward and placed her tray on a table. She could see for miles, the trees below so far away she could hardly make them out, especially in the pre-dawn light. Rivers lazily twisted across the ground, and she could see thin strips on which creatures the size of ants were following. Roads, she realised they must have been, and cars. Her hands were pressed up against the glass, and her eyes only inches away as she scoured the landscape, in awe of what she was seeing. Not far off, she could see dark clouds hovering above a very specific area of land, which may not have been strange if the sky wasn't completely void of clouds every where else Alex looked. But the thought was soon gone from her head as she tried to soak in every last detail of the scene before her.

Loki watched as she slid down to her knees, still looking out over the land. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he at least owed her this. Maybe because he knew it would likely be the last time she would be able to see a sight like this before they went into this fight. Maybe he felt like this was his way of apologising for Alex for what had been done and what was about to be done. Whatever the reason, he sat down at the table and ate as he watched Alex gaze out at the rising sun.

* * *

**Pretty please tell me what you think?**


	11. Chapter 11

**I AM SO SORRY. I've been terrible for updating this and I know my excuses don't make it better, so all I can do is apologise. I hope this chapter makes it up to you guys and you's don't completely hate me for the amount of time this has taken :( **

* * *

Alex wasn't exactly sure what she was meant to be doing, but still she followed Loki's orders. She flattened herself against a wall holding her breath as someone ran past. In the distance she could hear the battle being fought, but her and Loki hadn't joined it yet. This confused her, but she didn't question his decision. He'd told her to make her way to the centre of the abandoned town, and that he would meet her there. She had no idea what his plan was, but she was too blinded by the thought of revenge to be as wary as she normally was.

It wasn't until 30 painful minutes of trying to navigate the town had passed that she was finally seen by another woman. Her short red curls bounced as she ran, coming to a stop once she had spotted Alex, staring at her cautiously. Alex swore internally and braced herself to fight, knowing that she couldn't pass as an innocent bystander who was lost. Common sense told her that even in the outside world seeing a girl running through a town with a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to her back would be seen as suspicious.

Her breathing quickened as she armed herself with a bow and an arrow, the other woman slowly walking towards her, a strange look on her face.

* * *

Natasha stared at the girl, uneasy. Outside of the fact that this girl was clearly working with the Chitauri attacking the town, there was something not right about her being there. A strange feeling overcame her, one of… familiarity? But how? Natasha had never seen this person in her life, but there was still something there…

Shaking off the feeling, she began walking towards the girl, whose expression was emotionless, except for her eyes. Natasha could sense she was scared, and she didn't blame her. She only looked young, 19 or 20 at the oldest, and here she was, fighting. But why? How did she end up on Thanos' side?

"Stop moving, stay where you are," the girl warned, pulling her arrow back further.

"Hey, I just want to talk to you," Natasha said, now standing still and holding her hands up. She hoped that was enough of a peace offering. "I want to help. Tell me who you are, and we can sort this out."

Again she started moving forward slowly, trusting her instinct that this girl wouldn't actually shoot her.

* * *

Alex ignored the fact that she was walking towards her again, and said, "No we can't, you don't understand."

"Then help me understand. Tell me your name, I can help you," the red head replied, still slowly moving forward.

Alex knew she had to make a move soon, otherwise she wouldn't be able to escape. She lowered her bow and arrow completely and feigned a look of sadness. "Alex, my name's Alex."

The woman, who was now less than two metres away, completely froze. A look of horror and disbelief passed over her face.

"You can't be… Alex who? What's your last name?" she demanded, seeming desperate to find out the answer.

Taking advantage of the stranger's surprise, Alex rammed her entire body against hers, knocking the woman to the ground. Her victory was short-lived, as when she then made to run from the situation, her foot was pulled out from underneath her.

"Oh no you don't," the woman growled, pinning Alex to the ground. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me who you are."

Alex remained silent, struggling to escape. All she needed was another distraction.

She didn't have to wait long. Within seconds someone else clearly on this woman's side came flying down, wearing armour of red and gold.

"Natasha, we need yo-," he started, before seeing Alex being held down by his team mate. "Who's that?"

While the woman named Natasha, turned her head to speak to the man, Alex used every ounce of her strength to throw her off and kicked her in the stomach. She scrambled to her feet and began running, hoping the man in the armour would be too busy helping Natasha to try and pursue her. Her hope lasted 10 seconds, until she heard the sound of him flying nearby. Turning corner after corner in an attempt to lose him, she eventually skidded to a halt when she reached the place she was sure Loki had wanted her to meet him. Looking around, however, he was nowhere to be seen, but the guy in armour was heading straight toward her. As she raised her bow and arrow towards him, he held his palm facing her, where a circle of light began to glow brightly.

"No need for that," he said, walking toward her. "I can guarantee that you'll come out of this worse than me."

Clenching her jaw, she aimed at the circle of light on his palm and released her arrow, diving to side after doing so. Before he could make a move, the arrow lodged itself into the hand of his armour, which started to emit sparks. He swore, and while he was trying to fix the issue Alex made her escape again. She turned to hide behind a nearby building, where she ran into yet another person.

"Alex? Are you okay?"

She heard his voice before she realised who she had collided with.

"I'm, yeah, I'm okay. Just getting chased." At this, Loki's face split into a grin, surprising Alex.

"That's a good thing?"

"It's an excellent thing. Come now, I think it's about time we introduced ourselves."

He confidently began to walk back out into the open, instructing Alex to remain behind him the entire time. She again readied herself with her bow and arrow, and as they walked out were faced with Natasha and her male team mate, who had removed his face mask. Upon seeing Loki, the two looked as though they'd seen a ghost.

"What, surprised to see me? You can't believe everything you hear you know," Loki smirked.

"I've really gotta stop drinking," Tony murmured, shaking his head. After the initial shock, Natasha's facial expression changed to one of fury and confusion.

"Where the hell did you find her?" she asked, her voice venomous. "And I swear to god if you've done anything to her-"

Loki raised an eyebrow. "You know of her?"

"Of course I know of her."

"Then you know exactly where I found her; abandoned in the middle of the woods with no one." A small lump formed in Alex's throat at his words.

"Just to clarify, I have no idea what is going on here, and I don't particularly appreciate it," the red heads team mate interrupted, looking between the three people in front of him.

Ignoring him, Natasha continued, "What does she know? What have you said to her."

"Everything she needs to know. That SHIELD's the reason she lost her brother. That Michael died a long time ago at their hands."

The look that passed over the assassin's face was one of fury unmatched by anything Alex had ever seen before, except perhaps for when she had seen Loki in the vents weeks ago. "You are an absolu-"

"What? Monster? Perhaps you'd like to share your version of events with dear Alex here?" Loki spat at her.

"That's not my place, nor yours." Natasha's voice was shaking now, overcome with emotion.

Suddenly Alex felt sick in the stomach. She realised she'd made a mistake in believing Loki, she'd been right to distrust him all along. But she didn't know if she could trust the red headed woman either. She stood there, confused and hurt and feeling like an idiot.

"Let her go Loki. She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't understand what's happening."

"Oh, I don't think I will. See, I need her, and I think you can understand why."

"This is cruel. You can't use her like this. And what about Thor? He thinks you're dead! He mourned you, was devastated by your death and this is what you do?" By this point she was shouting, her voice echoing off the surrounding buildings.

Loki's face immediately turned sour. "Do not speak of my brother to me, for you do not understand what is at play here!"

Silence followed, and Alex realised she had subconsciously lowered her arrow. She felt as though she had been concussed, as though she was in a dream and couldn't wake up. She watched as a blue tinge faded into Loki's skin, and his hands began to glow slightly. He raised his arm with his palm facing toward Natasha and her companion, who mirrored Loki's movement.

"Careful Stark," she warned.

"Am I ever anything but?" he joked, eyes still focussed on Loki. "Come on Rudolph, it doesn't have to go down like this."

"Unfortunately, I don't see any other alternative," Loki replied, before sending a blast of ice and magic towards Stark, who was late to react. He managed to just send a bolt of his own toward Loki, however they collided closer to him and Natasha, the force from the impact enough to knock them both off their feet. Natasha flew further than Stark, slamming into the side of a building before crumpling to the ground. Loki, ignoring woman, walked toward her team mate, his arm glowing green and blue again.

"I think she knows enough to tell the rest of your stupid Avengers, which means my work here is done and you're not needed."

"Why can't I move? What did you do?"

Loki smirked again. "A magician never reveals his secrets," he said, and raised his palm toward Stark to deliver the final blow.

Alex realised that at some point she had started running, and was now heading toward Loki. She might not have known if she could trust these people, but she knew she sure as hell couldn't trust Loki, and at the moment that was all she had. In the distance she could hear the voices of people yelling for Natasha and Tony, and while they were getting closer they would never make it in time to stop Loki. As the power he was channelling grew stronger, Alex dove forward towards his arm, grabbing it and pulling it away from the man in the armour.

And then Alex was freezing, experiencing a degree of coldness that she never had before. It burned her entire body, and she could feel herself fading into darkness. The last thing she remembered being the incredulous look on Loki's face before she saw her brother running toward her, coming to visit her in her dreams as he always did. Except this time he looked older than usual.


End file.
